


Clover and Lace

by RedKitsune



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Artist OC, Condoms, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Dark Past, Early Mornings, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Secrets, First Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Lazy Mornings, Love at First Sight, Making Out, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Steve Rogers, Secret Identity, Sex, Siblings, Slow Romance, Steve Feels, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Texting, Twins, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2019-11-26 02:06:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 62,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18174419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedKitsune/pseuds/RedKitsune
Summary: When Steve feels like the fight will never end he buries himself in his work, running mission after missing and running the team ragged. In a effort to get themselves some peace, he is encouraged to leave the city for a while. What he finds when he does is wholly unexpected.Sara was everything she appeared to be. A small town painter who was the only daughter if immigrant parents. Her red hair and green eyes could draw anyone’s attention. In Steve’s eyes she was perfectly sweet and unmarred by the horrors of the world. Instantly Steve was drawn to her. She was everything she seemed and had a easy way about her.It’s a shame she had her secrets. When nothing with Sara is as it seems and lies give way to truth, can Steve and Sara find away to allow their just blossoming love to bloom or will the fire of mistrust burn what could have been to the ground leaving nothing but ashes between them?





	1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Steve Rogers didn't know what he expected to come of his trip to Akron, New York but he knew he needed to make the trip. It was a few hours drive upstate but he had caught wind of a art exhibit being held for one of their local painters. Word of mouth even was that she was good.

He had a rare day off and Bucky encouraged him to go. Really, he was given the appearance of having a choice in the matter. They said he was at risk of burnout. They said that he did nothing but work, nothing but train and fight. They said it wasn’t healthy.

While that was true there was always a battle to be won, always a enemy that needed to be put down. It was never ending. Even when he took breaks, he filled his time with paperwork. There was always more to do.

He supposed they were right. A part of him knew it even as he jumped on his Harley and made his way out of the city. It felt odd to be out of the city and relaxed. Steve didn't want to admit it, but he couldn't remember the last time he had fresh air to breath and the peace to actually enjoy it.

If he was going to this exhibit, he may as well try to the event. He had always enjoyed art, when did he give that up? And so just like that Steve decided to start enjoying things again. Starting with the ride to Akron and looking at paintings by some no name local artist who some said could make a name for herself, he would learn to enjoy things again.

 

Sara Wilson penned her name to one last canvas and frowned down at it. 'Sara Wilson' it read. How she hated the name. Yet she long ago stopped entertaining the idea of taking a name she would like. Names changed with time. For her they always did and always will, one way or another.

“Sara, dear! We need the last of them to hang.” The hearty voice of the old woman who owned the cafe below called from the stairs.

She would rarely come up- her knees and back ached making it nearly impossible for her to climb the stairs or so she said. It was one of the reasons she let Sara rent the upstairs apartment so cheap. Yet as the old woman got more and more comfortable her knees felt up to tackling the stairs more often and she would visit with Sara.

Sara always liked Mrs. Jones and when she told her friends in the big city about Sara's art somehow she ended up putting on a show. It was never a good idea to draw attention to herself but she didn't want to disappoint the old woman who gave her so much kindness and understanding. Mrs. Jones never asked the hard questions about Sara's past, the questions that would always be avoided and redirected.

It took a few more hours to set up the show. Watercolors littered the walls around them in the cafe. Snacks were ready, drinks were ready and the cafe even had a barista in to man the espresso machine. People came, people went and Sara was growing tired of dodging questions about who she was and where she came from. Some people bought her art, some did not and it didn't matter to her one way or another.

Then, she saw him. When he walked in, Sara about dropped her glass. Tall and blonde, he was perfection walking. While many women fawned over tall, dark and handsome she had always preferred the lighter look. Maybe it was just that she was hiding from her own darkness that she didn't want it mirrored in her partner.

Not that she would ever truly have a partner. Not wanting to get caught looking at him for too long, she turned quickly and made herself busy as best she could. If she was lucky he wouldn't see her and she wouldn't have to try and talk to him.

Steve however had his eyes trained on her almost instantly. The motion of the white of her dress caught his eye as she spun on her heel to face away. That was well enough for him as it gave him a chance to take her in from a distance without looking like a creep.

She wore a lacy white floral print dress that dusted over her knees and simple rose heels. The cut was classic and flattered her frame. Auburn hair was curled loosely and cascaded down her shoulders. Light skin looked to just be kissed by the sun enough to give it color but she was still fair.

“Her name is Sara,” The voice of a old woman startled him. “if you'd like to pick your jaw up off my floor and go talk to her. Keep drooling and you’ll leave a puddle on my floor for me to slip on. You want me to break a hip, Boy?” When the old woman came up next to him, Steve had no idea.

“Thank you Ma'am but I'm just here to look at the art.” He really didn't have the life to be getting involved with someone. And truly whoever Sara was she deserved a whole life.

“Son, you seem more keen on admiring the artist over the art.” With a raspy laugh, the woman patted him on the back and left him be.

Steve had half a mind to tell the woman he was old enough to nearly be her father but she seemed to not recognize him. Sara was the artist?

Steve stood back and watched her for a few moments longer as she turned and spoke with another man. Over the small crowd he could hear the melody of her laugh, it sounded almost like wind chimes. Before he thought better of it his feet carried him forward.

“Hi.” Steve spoke simply when she turned to him.

Bucky would have been proud that he had at least he managed to say that much without stammering. She was beautiful. Pale skin and dark green eyes greeted him. Her petal pink lips turned up in a smile.

“Hello.” Was all she said in return as she took him in.

His blue eyes and light brown hair made him look all American. If he spent too much time in the sun, did the strands bleach blonde? Sara wondered if she got closer, would he smell of apple pie?

“I'm Steve. Steve Rogers. You, ah-” There you are old boy- stammering in front of a pretty face yet again as he held his hand out. “These are yours?”

“Sara Wilson. Yeah, they are mine.” She couldn't help the smile when rather than shake her hand as she expected, he took it to his lips and kissed her knuckles before releasing it. It was such an old fashioned gesture that it brought a blush to her face.

“You do beautiful work, Miss Wilson.” Steve made a point to look around, trying to ignore how cute she looked with her flushed cheeks.

“Please, Sara is fine.” She rested her hand on his arm as she spoke. “And thank you. It passes the time.”

“Your accent, I can't place it?” Steve felt rude for asking, but it was just a hint of an accent that seemed to make her words float away on the wind.

“Ah, my parents are from Europe and traveled around so much. I was born here however it seems to stick.” She smiled and hoped her eyes wouldn't betray her lie or that he wouldn’t ask if ‘here’ meant this little town or just stateside. As much as she had tried to school her accent over the years, it still gave her away as different.

“I like it.” Steve admitted, cringing slightly as he processed his own words. Sara just smiled at him.

“Would you like a drink?” Sara looked around as if a drink would come to her before leading him to the refreshment table. Mumbling a thanks, Steve followed close behind.

“I, ah-.” Sara was amazed how her brain seemed to shut off as she waved her hand dumbly at the table full of drinks next to the coffee bar.

“A beer is fine. I mean, great.” Steve plucked the beer up and made quick work of taking a long pull from the bottle. If he was drinking, he couldn’t say anything else stupid. At least, he was counting on it to keep his mouth occupied while he tried to remember how to talk like a human being.

Somehow, they passed the next few hours chatting away seemingly about nothing. Sara found that he did not actually smell of apple pie, when they stood on the balcony overlooking the lake behind the cafe.

The wind shifted and she was just close enough that she could smell the rich scent of his aftershave. He smelled of sandalwood and a hint of pine, not pie it turned out. She learned much about him. He liked apple pie and pumpkin spice. Even now, she still could swear he was everything good about America, right down to being happy to talk about shallow topics and his own likes.

Steve didn't notice much when he was with her. His attention was wholly focused on the way her hair danced in the breeze and how the setting sun made her eyes sparkle. They were so close, standing next to each other leaning on the railing that he could feel the warmth of her arm. Again, the wind shifted, stronger this time and he was mesmerized as her hair danced in her face.

He listened to her laugh as she tucked the strands back behind her ear. The sweet smell of her perfume filled his nose and he wondered if this was what he really needed. If what he needed was to reconnect with the world, not to look at some paintings.

“Sara?” She smiled up at him.

“Yes, Steve?” Oh how his name sounded, floating away from her lips.

“I'd like to maybe see you again. If you wouldn't be opposed, that is.”

She just couldn't get over him. He spoke and acted as if he was from the past. So old fashioned, so respectful. It was a risk, but she wanted to know more about him. It has been years now, she was allowed to have a life. Surely, it wouldn't be that much of a risk?

“I'd like that. Won't you call me from the big bad city?” She deserved to be happy, even if it was for a few fleeting moments.

“I'll do you one better, Doll. I'll come see you. Next weekend, surely there is a place to grab a nice dinner around here?”

“Oh- I ah...” Sara looked away, not sure what to say. This wasn’t something she expected or even dared to dream of.

“How about I just call you?” Steve presses, biting his lip. He didn’t want to let her go. Maybe it was too soon to plan a trip out to see her. Perhaps he was rushing a bit. Things moved so differently now, so fast and yet so slow somehow at the same time. “We can go from there?”

“Okay.” Sara looked down before swallowing the butterflies trying to escape her stomach. She was excited for the prospect of something she didn’t even know would happen. Something she shouldn’t even let happen.

 

She watched from the front porch as the lights of his bike faded in the distance. Chewing at her lip while she lost in thought, she didn’t hear Mrs. Jones come up next to her.

“He was a mighty fine man.” The old woman sighed wistfully. “A good one too it seems. They don’t seem to make them like that often now a days. Tell me you got his number, Girl?”

“I did.” And that was part of the problem.

Getting attached wasn’t a good idea. Now with the hustle and bustle of the show over and without his nearly intoxicating presence next to her, doubt began to creep in. To ever talk to him again was risky. Was that risk worth a few moments of feeling normal, of maybe being happy? Was the heartbreak of when she had to leave worth it?And she would have to leave. She always had to leave.

“Good girl.” Mrs. Jones praised as she patted the woman she knew as Sara on the arm. “If I was 40 years younger, I’d be all over him.”

“Mrs. Jones, you’d be like 45 if that was the case.” Sara laughed.

“I’d make sure he knows how to use what God gave him.” The old woman winked and she laughed. “Make sure he’s in fine shape for you, Sara dear.”

“Oh god.” Sara shook her head and turned away, trying to hide the blush that Mrs. Jones already knew was there. It took nothing to make her turn shades of pink and oh how that old woman enjoyed teasing her. It wasn’t fair, it really wasn’t.

 

Rosemary spent the two hours pacing her small apartment. Mrs. Jones wouldn’t let her help clean up, insisting that she did the hard work of talking to everyone today and those ‘big strong Maxus boys’ could do the cleaning up. That left Rosemary plenty of time to think.

Thinking was good and bad. She thought of how she almost liked the way Steve said ‘Sara’. The memory of the way he smiled at her just a little softer when he didn’t realize she was looking made her cheeks warm.

Sitting down on her couch she tried to decide what to do. If she called her brother, she knew what he would tell her. Don’t ever speak to him again. Don’t ever look at him again. It’s safer to be alone.

And he would be right. But she knew right now no one knew where she was. Right now, she was safe. She’d made a life here for the last four months and it was looking like she could remain for maybe up to a year longer. It would be one of her longest stints in one place and it was exciting. But she also knew when she left- and she would have to leave eventually without so much as a goodbye or a look behind, it would hurt all the more.

Unlocking her phone, she spent far too long just looking at his number. She wanted to text him, make sure he had made it back to the city alright. Hell, she wanted to call him and hear his voice again already.

She needed to block the number and delete the contact. No matter how badly she wanted to be normal for a little but. The painting above her TV caught her eye. It was a watercolor of what was a historic looking couple locked in a sweet kiss. It was one of her favorite works and like all of her others, when she moved on from here she would leave it behind.

It made her question what harm could there be in giving him a chance. It was all temporary, just like everything in her life but she could enjoy it while it lasts. Why shouldn’t she get to know what it feels like to love another, even for a little bit?

With a bitter laugh she shook her head. It was a childish wish. A dumb idea. Highlighting the contact she brought open the menu. First she would block the number, then delete it. No more temptation once that was done. It was just a few clicks on the screen.

 

Steve rode home that night with a smile on his face and a new phone number in his contact list. He had promised to let her know he made it home safe and so he sent her a text message just as soon as he rolled in.

If she knew him as Captain America she had given no indication and that was just fine by him. If she lived under a rock in small town America and only knew him as Steve Rogers he would be all the happier.

“I take it you enjoyed yourself?” Bucky was leaning against the counter of their shared apartment as the front door closed behind Steve.

Tony had offered them a room in the compound and for a while Steve had taken him up on the offer. In time however, Bucky was ready to reach out and become a part of the world again. Being a part of the world resulted in him being open to being a part of Steve’s life again.

The compound wasn’t such a good place for Bucky however. The cold industrial feel of the building seemed to trigger Bucky’s nightmares and seemed to cause them to become worse and though Tony was more than willing to make whatever changes they thought may help, it ended up being better to simply move out and find a apartment for the two of them.

“I met a dame. Long legs, soft hair, beautiful lips.” Steve gushed as he made his way to Bucky and leaned on the other side of the island as he pulled out his phone.

“That so?” Bucky leaned forward, looking at the screen as Steve typed a message that was perfectly fine.

Bucky then watched as Steve deleted the message. And typed a more cheesy message. He then deleted that one and wrote something that sounded far too causal and dismissive and deleted that one. Before he could type yet another message Bucky plucked the phone from his friend’s hands.

“Hey!” Steve squawked in protest as he reached over the island for his phone only to have buck lean back against the far counter.

“No, you’re being a fucking dumb shit. Each message is getting worse. You’re going to end up sending nothing at this rate.”

“I was going to send...” Steve lunged around the counter as Bucky darted around to the other side of the island.

“Send what?” Bucky challenged as he typed quickly on the phone. “Flowers in 10 years?”

“Dammit Bucky, give me the phone!”

“There.” Bucky hit send.

Tossing the phone back to Steve, Bucky rolled his eyes at the way his friend visibly relaxed reading the perfectly acceptable message sent as him. With a chirp the phone announced a few moments later that a message was received.

“What did she say?”

“’Glad you made it back safe.’ that’s it?” Before Steve could begin overthinking things in earnest his phone chirped again. “This one says: ‘I really enjoyed our time today.’”

“Well good fucking job, Punk.”

The remainder of the night was spent rehashing the night with his friend while trying to figure out a plan. It was decidedly the most normal night they had spent in over 70 years.


	2. Chapter 2

“So, figure out where you are going to take the mystery girl on Friday?” Tony asked as he leaned against the wall of the jet. Steve was happy to ignore him until Tony asked three more times.

“No.” He finally admitted. “I don’t want to drive two hours to get to her, drive another two to bring her into the city and spend two more hours driving her home.”

“Get a room? Take her back to your place?” To Tony it seemed simple, a good reason to have her stay the night.

“As if, he’s going to wait 70 years before he makes it that far.” Clint joked from where he sat.

“Not going to wait that long.” Steve protested. “Just not on the first date. Or the second.”

“Or the third.” Bucky added, earning a glare from Steve.

“Or the fourth.” Natasha added from the cockpit and Steve threw his hands in the air.

“Any other ideas from the bleachers?” Steve fishes, wanting to change the topic and maybe even manage to get some real help.

“What is there to do in Arkon anyway?” Bucky asks.

“I’ve never heard of the place but online it says the cafe is good.” Clint offered as he looked up the town on his phone. “Tiny town.”

“Been to the cafe already.” Steve sighed. “And nothing. There is nothing in Arkon. No where for a proper date.”

“Italian restaurant?” Sam offered.

“You can’t go wrong with Italian.” Tony nodded.

“There isn’t even a pizza place.” Steve actually sounded bitter and Clint gasped in what could be actual horror.

“Why would anyone live there?” Clint clutched his chest and dramatically fell back.

“Weather is pretty nice in the area this time of year.” Natasha commented from where she sat. “Pack a picnic and bring some music. Find a nice spot- eat, drink some wine and maybe twirl her around.”

“That’s the lamest thing I’ve ever heard.” Sam laughed at the idea.

“No, that’s actually perfectly lame.” Tony defended. “It’s him. I mean, if she somehow doesn’t know he’s Cap than he’s got to sell her on the whole being a century old thing somehow. An old fashioned date like that could do it.”

“Is that really such an old fashioned idea?” Bucky questioned as Steve looked at his hands. The idea crossed his mind but it hadn’t felt like it would be nearly enough to win a girl as pretty as her.

“It’s classic.” Tony corrected. “Cap is classic. She’s a small town girl. It fits.”

* * *

Steve didn’t even look up as the front door opened and two bodies came in laughing. He skipped his morning work out and took the day off the office. No missions were scheduled and for once, he didn’t feel like going into the compound to search up something to do. Two peaceful weekends in a row seemed like a good idea.

“What the hell did the bread do to piss you off?” Bucky was honestly offended at the state of the bread.

Steve got an old fashioned loaf of rye, unsliced because how hard could it be to slice bread? Turns out, when you don’t have the proper knife, it could be very hard. Steve had decided that when he was on his way home that night it was time they buy a proper set of knives of the apartment. They couldn’t keep using their tactical knives for everything.

“Did you cut it with a chainsaw?” Natasha picked up some slices too mutilated to be used in the sandwiches he was making.

“No.” He sighed.

“Just an army knife?” She challenged, eyeing the knife on the counter. “you do know those are for killing, not cooking- right?”

“I washed it first.” Even Steve knew it sounded shitty when said aloud. “I’m getting a knife set this weekend, alright?”

“Why is there mustard on the outside?” Bucky asked as he sat at the kitchen island.

“I got some on my hand. Will you two just buzz off?” Steve was trying, right? His friends were not making him feel any better about this mess of a plan at all.

“Okay, okay. But Steve, really? This-” Bucky waved his hand at the sandwiches, sad and patchy on the counter. “isn’t going to work.”

“What the hell should I do then?!” Steve slammed his hands down on the counter in an unexpected show of frustration.

“Nat?” Bucky turned to her as she was already slipping her coat back on.

“I’m on it. Those were intended to be pastrami on rye, yes?”

Bucky picked up a lump that was intended to be a sandwich and took a large bite before reporting, “Yep.”

With Natasha on mission ‘sandwich’ that freed Bucky up to first finish inhaling the sandwich that at least managed to taste mostly right and set about making potato salad.

“You can’t just take sandwiches, Steve.” He lectured.

“Why not?” Bucky didn’t answer, rather he grabbed his phone and sent off a text, probably to Natasha to request her pick up something more for the date.

Steve was on mission Pie and all things considered, he thought it came together pretty well. The top crust went on pretty enough and when Natasha returned with sandwiches, bottles of water and chips it was time to pull it from the oven.

It was also getting far too close to time to leave. Steve sent up a silent prayer and opened the oven.

“No.”

“What?” Bucky sounded concerned.

“No, no. No. No. No.” The most helpful answer he could provide as he pulled the pie out of the oven and set it on the stove top. A large portion of the top crust had broken somehow and was sank a good ways down into the bubbly cherry goo.

“Well, that’s pretty.” Natasha commented over his shoulder earning a glare.

When the food was finally packed, Steve was sent down the stairs to the far too fancy car Tony was insisting he take. Opening the trunk he found a wicker basket that looked much nicer than the grocery bags he was using to hall things in.

Unloading the bags into the basket and in the process finding a very expensive bottle of wine and much better plates and glasses than Steve had packed, he couldn’t help but be thankful for his friends. Yeah, the meddled and involved themselves in his business. Yeah they pushed and had loud opinions but each and every one of them was rooting for him.

 

* * *

Rosemary puttered about her apartment that whole Friday. Outfits were tried on, discarded and the process repeated until she finally went into the shower where she proceeded to take as long as she could. Everything that could and should be shaved on a proper lady was. She scrubbed, lotioned and polished her skin into silky softness as soft orchestral music played in the background. A few notes played from her office informing her of a fresh notification and she ignored it for now. It could wait.

It had been a long time since she had a date. It was risky to get attached to people and her brother was less than pleased when she had called him to gush over the attractive man she had met. Rather than be pleased for her he made sure she was reminded of the dangers, the risks and of who she was.

If she kept to herself for much longer, people would start to ask questions anyway, she rationalized. At first she hadn’t wanted to tell him at all but safety won out. He had to know if she wasn’t going to be home. Have a tracker on you, he said as if she didn’t already keep the little specialized earring back on her favorite pair of earrings.

It didn’t really matter, did it? It was just a date. Her brother asked for the man’s name but she refused to provide it. If she wanted to know more about him, more then he was willing to tell her, she had her ways and would be far better at pulling the information then he ever would be. Information was her specialty, after all.

All Julian would find was if he had any public records, arrests or been in the news. Social media accounts he could normally find as well. No, Julian wouldn’t be able to find anything material about the guy. Rosemary could know everything there was to know about him, if she wished.

Rosemary wanted the handsome man with kind blue eyes to be a mystery to her. There were far too few mysteries in her life. Mr. Steve Rogers with his vaguely familiar name would be allowed to continue to be one, right alongside how long she got to stay in this tiny town and if she would ever be called to her dear brother’s side again. It was always better for them to be apart. Really this was the closest they had been to each other in many years, just a few hours drive away. But she did not have a car. It was better that way.

Being alone was hard and she was always alone. There was a knock on her door, drawing her out of her thoughts. Absently, her hand fell away from the necklace she had been fingering. That’s right, this time she wasn’t always alone. Mrs. Jones was always around and checking up on her.

“Sara?” The hearty voice of Mrs. Jones called through the door and she winced at the name. She had always hated the name Sara. More than likely that was why her brother picked it for her this time. Such a childish action, to saddle her with a name she hated even if it was only to be for a few months or a few years. He was still childish. She stuck her tongue out at the thought as if somehow she could stick her tongue out at him.

“Come in.” She called through the door, knowing with the thin walls the old woman would hear just fine.

“Don’t you just look sweet.” She cooed as she shuffled into the room. “Spin for me, Honey?”

“You think so?” Sara did a little spin to humor the woman. The skirt of her dress flaring out and her hair dancing around her shoulders.

“When does he get here?” Mrs. Jones sat at the small dining table.

“Should be here in another 30 minutes.” Sara shrugged, taking a seat across from the old woman.

“It is so good to see you stepping out with such a fine man. Or any man at all for that matter.” Mrs. Jones didn’t waste any time getting to the point not that Sara hadn’t expected it. Mrs. Jones had tried to set her up with nearly every single man within ten years of her age within 100 miles of her home.

“It’s just a date, Mrs. Jones. Nothing serious may come from it.” Nothing serious would come from it. It wouldn’t do to get attached. It would however be nice to have some company. To have a handsome man call her pretty and maybe kiss her. She was after all nearly 26 and hadn’t had a proper kiss.

Knocking on the door drew them out of their conversation before it could really start. Sara was thankful for that in all honesty. It was a conversation that could call into question her past.

“He’s early?”

“Go, on! Answer the door.” Mrs. Jones ordered as if Sara wasn’t already rising to her feet. “I’ll just busy myself on the balcony. I’ll lock up on my way out. Don’t mind a little old lady. Oh and remember, if he says late- wrap it up Honey. I’ll just put the condoms I brought you on your nightstand, just in case.”

Sara rolled her eyes as she took a deep breath and peeked through the peephole in the door. She tried to calm the blush already burning bright on her face thanks to that old woman. Condoms, really? Sara had been thinking of maybe a kiss. Hell, she’d never even purchased condoms before. With another deep breath she focused on trying to make out who was outside her door.

Safety was always a concern for her but she could just make out Steve’s face too close to the door as he shifted from foot to foot. It was cute to see a sign of nerves from someone so handsome when he didn’t know she was looking. With one last deep breath, she opened the door.

“Sara. Sorry, I know I’m early.” Steve scratched the back of his neck and glanced down before pushing the flowers in his hand toward her somewhat forcefully. “I ah- I got these for you. I hope-”

“They’re perfect. Thank you, Steve. Please come in.” Sara took the flowers from him and opened the door wide enough for him to come inside before shutting it behind him.

With a deep breath she took in the scent of the flowers. Daisies, carnations and lilies mixed together for a warm and colorful arrangement that seemed to embody the summer season. She couldn't help but smile warmly as she placed them in a vase that normally sat empty on her small dining room table.

“I should have called…” Steve ran his hands down his thighs, clearly a ball of nerves and Sara couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled from her throat as she turned to him.

“She wasn’t doing anything anyway.” Mrs. Jones called from where she sipped coffee she at some point helped herself to perched on the balcony chair. Somehow the woman could move fast and silently when needed and it was one of the world’s greatest mysteries as to how she did it.

“It’s fine, Steve. Really, it’s so good to see you again.” Finally, he looked directly at her and smiled. Rosemary could have died happy with the way his smile lit up his face.

“God, you look beautiful.” Steve breathed the words and Rosemary couldn’t stop the blush that rushed to her face as he took the sight of her in.

Standing next to the flowers, he found her to be a vision of classic beauty. Her auburn hair was free flowing in loose waves that seemed to dance as she moved. Again she wore a dress but this one took his breath away. It was a simple classic cut that would have almost been appropriate even in his time but the thin fabric cling to her as she moved.

It was easy enough to tell how thin it was as she moved about he could see the ever so subtle flexing and shifting of muscle hidden under the fabric. Steve wondered if it was as soft as it looked. She paired the forest green dress with simple black heels and a delicate chain around her neck. Simple earrings hung from her ears. A vision of classic beauty.

“Thank you. You’re not half bad tonight yourself Steve.” She hoped her face wasn’t nearly as red as it felt when her words jerked him out of his thoughts. Steve wore a simple white button up shirt that hugged his frame and a pair of dark wash jeans that clung to his thighs. Just a bit dressed up from their first meeting but perfectly delectable on his own.

“So, where are we off to?” Rosemary smiled at Steve as they made their way down the stairs that would spit them out into the cafe. Mrs. Jones would lock up at the end of the night but she had a key and codes to get in at all hours and the trust to use them.

“It’s a surprise.” Steve fidgeted and dearly hoped that listening to the team wasn’t going to bite him in the ass.

“Fancy car.” Rosemary whistled as they stepped outside earning a laugh from Steve. “What do you do?”

“Oh just some security work.” Steve smiled and hated how he didn’t want to tell her right then what it was he did.

If she didn’t know he would get to know her as just Steve for a bit longer yet. If he told her now he worried that she’d think he was just using it to get her to sleep with him at the end of the date or at least that was the excuse he gave himself.

“Must be some security work if you’re driving this.” Rosemary laughed and cringed internally, hating how materialistic she sounded. The car was nice, yes. It was also very expensive. She knew this because Julian drives a similar car.

“I ah-” Steve laughed awkwardly and tried speaking again as he opened the door for her. “It’s actually my boss’ car. He insisted that it wasn’t proper to take a lady out on a Harley.”

“Oh.” The door shut and Steve rushed around to the driver’s side. “Well, I wouldn’t have minded a ride on the Harley.”

“Yeah?” Steve glanced her way and she hated how she blushed seemingly instantly.

“I’ve never been on one before.” She shrugged and watched as the small town passed by her window.

“I’ll be sure to bring it by next time.” Next time?

Could she let there be a next time? This was risky enough. If they got along well and there was a next time leaving would hurt more.

“I’d like that.”

He took them into the hills just outside of town. The sun was bright and warm. It was a perfect summer day. Leaving town however was something she didn’t expect. It was also something she knew Julian would frown at. She’d probably have to hear about it later.

Rosemary decided she regardless of what pain was going to come- and this was surely going to result in pain- it was worth feeling a bit more normal. When Julian asked why she was indulging she would just tell him it was for her cover. People were starting to ask questions, she could say. Leaving so soon would just raise more questions.

It occurred to her that for the first time in her life, she was considering lying to the only person she’s always had. Glancing over at Steve, his bright blue eyes on the road and sun playing off the blonde highlights she had wondered about the weekend prior. She hoped he was worth it.


	3. Chapter 3

Steve glanced at her as she sat in the seat next to him. The windows were cracked open, allowing just enough breeze to just make some of her hair dance. Sun played off her hair and seemed to light a fire in the auburn strands. The sunlight shined into her eyes and he wondered what was brighter, the clear sky or the blue of her eyes.

It was hard to remember he needed to keep his eyes on the road. It would be just his luck to wreck the car and ruin the date he spent far too much time trying to plan. A car accident due to not watching the road would probably not earn him a second date.

He still couldn’t believe he implausibly offered to bring his Harley next time. Yet she didn’t show that it bothered her at all. His heart nearly stopped in his chest when she said she would like that. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

“You sure you’re not kidnapping me?” The smile on her face was small and pure and he couldn’t help but laugh as he shook his head.

“We’re almost there.”

* * *

The car parked and Steve wasted no time at all rushing out his door and coming around to open hers for her. Never had she had anyone beyond her bother treat her this way. The few dates she allowed herself to accept over the last ten years had never treated her with such kindness and today’s date had only just begun.

With her safely out of the car he set about getting a basket out of the trunk. Atop it sat a blanket folded neatly. Steve was pulling out a few pillows and honestly, she was going to be impressed if he managed to carry everything. Regardless, he looked good as the warm sunlight bathed him.

“Mind taking pillows?” She didn’t even respond. “Sara?” Still nothing. “Is everything okay? We can go do something else if you’d rather...”

Oh shit. She’d forgot for a moment that she had to answer to ‘Sara’. With her mind distracted and enjoying how his button down shirt seemed to cling to him and his dark jeans showed off his rear and long legs anyone could be driven to forgetting their name, real or not. But the worry in his voice matched the concern on his face. Together they drew her back to reality.

“No, no.” Plucking the pillows out of his hands, she held them to her chest. “I was thinking how nice today is. It’s the perfect day for a picnic.”

Steve’s breath was blown away when she smiled at him, blue pillows held to her chest and wind blowing the loose waves of her red hair just enough to look far too elegant than she had any right looking. Instead of allowing himself to stare longer for fear of looking creepy he picked up the blanket and basket.

“Come on, it’s not far.” He’d scouted this hilltop clearing a few days ago and it was perfect.

“That’s good.” She laughs and glances down at the small heels on her feet. Not far was doable and she didn’t want to make him feel bad. As they walked however she found the ground to be solid enough that the heel wasn’t eaten with each step.

Steve was ever the gentleman, walking at her side with a hand on her lower back. It seemed that he was careful to keep his hand from straying too low. Every time it seemed to wonder down, he was quick to pull it back higher.

She’d never been treated in such a way. If not for the slips lower as they walked, she would worry that perhaps there was something he didn’t like about her. Was it wrong that his hand drifting just a hair lower than was proper was reassuring?

In all honestly, she couldn't say. This was the first date she’d ever had where the man taking her out treated her like something more than a piece of meat.

“One second, I’ll get it ready real fast.” Steve set the basket down as she looked around the small clearing.

The sun was warm on her shoulders but a slight chill clung enough that she would be thankful for what little coverage her lace sleeves would offer. Dotting the ground around in the wild grasses were familiar light pink flowers shaped like balls. Kneeling down, she picked one with a soft smile on her face.

“Ready for the pillows.” Steve announced, turning to her. “What do you have there?”

“A clover flower.” Rosemary smiled at him.

“I didn’t know clover flowered.” Again she found him close to her.

It was that closeness that made the draw to him all the harder to fight. So she did what any sane woman would have done. Rosemary leaned toward Steve and took in his scent when the breeze shifted and send it in her direction. Sandalwood and clover mixed to make for the most relaxing scent.

“It’s pretty.” Steve smiled down at the little flower. “You don’t see things like that in the city.”

“The country has it’s charms.”

Rosemary watched as he arranged the pillows before turning to her and holding out his hands toward her. “Come sit, relax. Maybe stay a while?”

She laughed at his joke even as he cringed at it and so Steve took that as a good sign. Slipping her hand into his, she allowed him to guide her onto the blanket and kicked off her heels, leaving them to the side in the grass and clover.

His hand was strong around hers and warm. Looking down at it she was surprised how nice it felt to have such a large hand wrapped around her own. For the last seven years she’d been so alone. Never had she felt lonely in all the years. Yet with her hand in his all the years of loneliness seemed to crash on her all at once. Her eyes watered as she looked up at the light brown hair at the back of his head then down at their joined hands.

Steve looked back at her and smiled in a way that made butterflies dance in her stomach. He was so handsome and frankly if not for his easy way about him his size would be intimidating. He sank down on the pillows, leading her down next to him. Yet he seemed to be careful to keep enough distance

“You okay?” Steve smiled over at her cautiously. The tears shining in her eyes surprised him and he dearly hoped he hadn’t done anything to upset her already.

“Yeah.” Sucking in a calming breath, she continued “Yeah- I’m great actually.” She laughed.

“You sure? We can-”

“Go somewhere else?” Rosemary cut him off, resting a hand on his arm, drawing his rambling attention back to her where his eyes were meant with a smile. “This is fine, Steve. This-” She waved her hand at the picnic basket and blanket spread out around them. “is perfect, really.”

“I’m worrying too much, aren’t I?” Steve busied himself unpacking the basket. Out came bags of chips, sandwiches, a container filled with what looked like potato salad, glasses and even a bottle of wine. Rosemary was sure the basket had to have been heavy.

“Yeah, you are. This is perfect and I love clover. Stop worrying and show me what you’ve brought?”

Steve smiled over at her and she could see the tension visibly roll off of his shoulders. His smile seemed to reach his eyes as he plated up sandwiches and potato salad. She accepted the plate with a smile and watched as he set about opening the bottle of wine. He was magnificent and sweet and for a moment she felt like this could be the start of something. But that was stupid.

“Wine?”

Steve held out the glass to her and with food to busy nervous hands and help occupy some of their thoughts it was much easier to relax for the both of them. The wine helped considerably as well while Steve entertained her with stories of his friends. That was fine by her, so long as he kept talking about his life he wasn’t asking about hers.

“Do you dance?” He asked suddenly with a large smile that drew a matching one out of her.

“Not too much. I learned some over the years but I’m not too good at it.” She was rambling. She knew she was rambling as he reached for his phone and with a few taps of his finger the sound of old swing music filled the air.

“Is this alright?” He asked, looking hopeful.

“It sounds fun.” The musical sound of her laugh filled the air as Steve stood and straightened his pants.

“Sara, may I have this dance?”

Taking his outstretched hand and letting him pull her to her feet, she offered a token protest. “I don’t know how to dance to this.”

“I do. Don’t worry Doll, I’ve got you.” Steve had a moment of panic when the old endearment slipped but she didn’t seem phased at all. He expected that she would slip into her shoes but she just stepped passed them, settling her bare feet on the soft grass and clover.

With the music playing on his phone and her hand tucked safely into his, he pulled her far enough away so that he could be sure they wouldn’t kick up grass and dirt onto what was left of the picnic spread. With one hand he guided hers to rest on his upper chest before his went to rest on her upper waist. She could feel his large thumb against her lower ribs.

He started leading her slowly but before long she was clinging to him as he swung her around the field. Her arm snaked up to hook around his neck. When he lifted her off her feet to spin her around in the air, he let go of her hand and both of his large hands wrapped securely around her waist. With her hand free she snaked it around his back and up his back, clinging to his shoulder as a squeal escaped her throat.

When to music slowed and he set her feet back on the ground she became aware of how close they really were holding each other. A slower song began to play through the small speakers and she could feel the heat of him radiate through their clothes and seep into her. Large strong hands hands slide around her waist and pull her closer to him.

Slowly they swayed to the music. Not once did Steve even come close to stepping on her bare feet. With a deep breath she closed her eyes. She listened to the breeze through the trees and the way he hummed lightly to the music.

For a few short moments she allowed herself to indulge in a fantasy where he held her close all night. It was a fantasy where he leaned down and their lips meant in what surely would be a sweet kiss. They’d finish the date and everything would be perfect. He would call her the next day and they would go out again. They would spend months together until he told her he had fallen in love with her and she would have fallen in love with him.

The song ended brought her daydream to an end.

“There’s pie.” Steve cleared his throat after speaking. His voice sounded like he had just woke form his own daydream. “Let’s have some.”

Steve stepped away and pulled her back toward the picnic spread. As she took a seat he pulled out the last container from the basket. It was round and clearly intended to hold a pie. There was a mess of red inside and she couldn’t help but laugh.

“It doesn’t look like much but it’s cherry pie. Ma’s old recipe.” Steve looks sheepishly up from the pie as he pulled the top off. “I know it’s not pretty.”

Was it silly that she laughed at that? Whatever alien this Steve was seemed to draw laughter out of her like water out of a well. Everything about him put her at ease. He was such a contradiction, large and clearly a strong man yet everything about the way he treated her, talked to her spoke of a soft nature.

“It’s the taste that matters, right?” Steve handed her a plate with red running from between the crusts. The pie clearly didn’t set exactly as it should but the fact that he baked her a pie made her feel warm inside.

“I guess.” That doubt and worry was back and while Steve tried to hide it, she could see it on his face.

Rosemary did the only thing she could think of to set him at ease- she took a large bite of slightly soupy cherry pie. Honestly, she hadn’t expected much but the first bite was an explosion of cherry flavor. The crust was flaky and perfect.

Moaning her praise through another bite, she spoke around her fork. “Steve, this is so good.”

“You think?” A blush colored his cheeks and it took a moment for Rosemary to realize the sounds she was making over the pie must have been borderline indecent.

She couldn’t help it however, the pie was that good. Plus the blush coloring his cheeks and turning the top of his ears red looked cute on him. It made her feel oddly powerful to know she could make him blush. Never had she made a man blush before.

“I do completely think so.” Rosemary confirmed as she scooped up another forkful and eagerly brought it to her mouth.

One cherry had a little spunk remaining however and made an attempt to escape. Bright red and covered in sweet syrupy goodness, the skin of the cherry ripped enough to free it from the fork. Down, down it went to land on her lace covered lap with a splat that would surely leave a stain.

“Aww, I liked this dress.” Rosemary commented, plucking up the cherry between two fingers and tossing it in her mouth.

“Let me get you some water. Maybe if we wash it out fast enough it wont stain.” Steve was uncapping an ice cold bottle of water with a cloth napkin in his other hand.

For his part, Steve was clearly overly concerned with saving her dress. While Rosemary liked the dress well enough it would be easy to replace it. With a bother in such high places as hers, she could have nearly any dress she wanted. Before she could even begin to put Steve at ease or tell him that it really wasn’t a big deal at all, he tipped the bottle of water and steady flow poured out and splashed into her lap.

The water was cold and she gasped in shock as the dress quickly absorbed the fluid. Steve was rubbing the towel roughly into her lap. She was keenly aware of his large hand on her upper thigh. Steve tipped more water onto her lap and she jumps up as the water begins trickling between her thighs, having had enough time to soak through the whole of the dress.

“Cold!”

“Shit.” Steve looked up at her, towel and water both still in hand and eyes as large as saucers. “I am so sorry Sara. I have no idea what I was thinking. God, I’m an idiot.”

Steve’s rambling was cut off when she started laughing, surprisingly enough. With one hand holding the soaked skirt of her dress out in front of her and off her wet legs and the other wrapped around her waist, she was bent over forward laughing, resting her head against a very confused Steve’s shoulder. Tears gathered in her eyes as she tried to catch her breath.

“You actually dumped ice water on me.” She wheezed between laughs.

“I- Are you- I’m sorry?” Steve questioned as his own lips betrayed him and a smile slowly cut across his face.

Before he knew it, he was laughing with her, handing her dry napkins as she leaned against him. Around them, the sky was painted orange, pink and yellow as the sun began working it’s way down the sky.

“I should get you home. You’ll freeze in that wet dress when it gets dark.” Steve didn’t want the evening to be over, somehow it had managed to be a perfect date while it felt like nothing went right.

“I guess you’re right.”

Rosemary picked up a pillow and watched as he set about packing away the dishes. His back was turned to her as she grabbed the edges if the pillow and prepared to strike. Waiting for the perfect moment, she watched as he closed the basket and straighten to stand at his impressive height. Just as he was turning to face her, his mouth open to say something she made her move.

With a giggle passing between her lips she swung the pillow and it made contact with the side of his head. He looked at her with confusion clear on his face and she swung again. This time the pillow made contact with his shoulder.

“Oh you want to play, Doll?” Steve wasted no time in snatching up a pillow and swinging it at her. He was mindful of his strength. As they battled with pillows, running around the small clearing while laughing like teenagers.

Finally he caught her with a hand around her waist and hauled her body against his. She dropped the pillow next to his as she turned in his arms right before making contact with his chest. Their cheeks were both pink and her breath came somewhat heavy, not used to the physical excision of a pillow fight. It was nearly dark and the fading light seemed to cast a spell on them.

Steve felt something tight around his chest and he knew he was done for. This small woman with her unruly mop of red hair and bright blue eyes was like no one he had ever known before. She was like no one he would ever find again. All it took was one date and he was hooked on her.

Leaning down slowly, his breath caught in his chest. He watched, searching her eyes for any sign she wanted him to back off. Against his chest, her hands were relaxed and he couldn’t feel any tension in the muscles pressed against him. Her eyes did what he knew his was doing as well, flicking down at his lips and searching for something in his own eyes.

A lifetime ago he would never have imagined kissing a woman he’d only known for a week. Never would he consider kissing a woman on the first date. But this wasn’t his time. This was a new lifetime and he was building a new life. The rules were different here.

Softly, his lips met hers as his eyes slowly closed. She sighed into the kiss and heaven help him if he didn’t want more. Yet he rather than allow himself to push the kiss deeper, to truly taste her he pulled back. There would be time for that later, after a few more dates. He had no reason to rush things- he had all the time in the world.

“Sara…”

“Yeah?” She whispered, still relaxed against him.

“I should get you home and head back.” A look of disappointment crossed her face but she schooled herself quickly.

“I had a lot of fun.” She knew they had the drive back to her place to say goodbye yet it felt like this was it. “Thank you, Steve.”

“I’ll see you again.” He promised, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear. “Won’t I?”

The question made her heart beat all the more in her chest. He dumped water on her, he was an awkward mess and the date hadn’t gone perfectly yet he wanted to see her again. She shouldn’t, she knew. She couldn’t. It was too risky.

“I want to see you again.” Steve pressed gently. “That is, if you want to see me again.”

“I do.” The words were out before she could stop them. What harm could one more date cause? It was all temporary, after all. She wouldn’t fall in love with him. He wouldn’t fall in love with her. She was just drawn to the normalcy of it, wasn’t she?


	4. Chapter 4

 

Rosemary watched from the balcony as Steve turned and waved at her before getting into the car. A chill was creeping into the air but she stood outside and watched as he drove away just the same. She watched until she couldn’t see the lights of his car in the distance any longer. If not for the knocking on her door, she’d probably stand out there lost in her thoughts for the whole of the night.

At first she tired to ignore it however she was sure of who was knocking and they wouldn’t be cast away so easily. Pulling out her phone she sent a quick text letting her brother know she was home and safe before tossing it on the counter. More knocking caused her to sigh as she walked over to the door. Before she got to it however the doorknob turned and in came exactly who she expected. Rosemary threw her hands up in the air and turned around, sitting down at her small kitchen table instead.

“Sara!” Mrs. Jones called while Rosemary wondered how the woman’s knees has been allowing her to come upstairs so much in the last 24 hours. The power of meddling could do cure anything it would.

“You are aware that is illegal, right?” Rosemary motioned to the door but a smile graced her face.

“You let him leave.” Mrs. Jones sat heavily down in the chair across from her.

“What was I to do, keep him in your basement as a pet?” Rosemary laughed.

“Or keep him in your bed overnight and ride him hard.” Rosemary was thankful she wasn’t drinking otherwise she’d have choked at the crude statement. “I’d not let a man like that go home without at least a taste.”

“Mrs. Jones!” Rosemary laughed because what else could she do?

“I’m just saying your a beautiful girl and he’s a fine looking man.” Mrs. Jones waved her hand as if she was shooing the matter away. “How was the date? What happened to your dress?”

Rosemary spent the next hour going over the details and dodged invasive questions from the old woman. Still, she couldn’t get away with omitting the kiss. She tried but the blush on her face gave her away. It was an evening well spent and when Mrs. Jones finally left her in peace she was beyond ready to be done with the night just the same.

Grabbing her phone off the counter, she set about getting ready for bed. While she was busy her brother had responded at least. It was good to have a chance to check in with him. They didn’t get to talk nearly as much as they used to but that did nothing to put distance in their relationship. They were just as close now as they had been that dark night so long ago when they learned exactly what their father was capable of.

Jul: Did you have a good time?

R: I did

Jul: Did he touch you?

R: I’m a big girl.

Jul: Do I have to kill him?

R: As if you get your hands dirty anymore.

R: He was a gentleman- for the record.

Jul: Did you tell him anything?

R: I’m not an idiot. Stop acting like I’m a child.

Jul: I just need you to be safe. You know I love you.

R: I love you too.

Jul: You’re not going to see him again, right?

* * *

 

Rosemary tossed her phone on the bed without responding. Slipping out of her dress and into some comfortable clothes to sleep in, she tried to let the irritation roll off of her. She knew he was just looking out for her but it got to her sometimes. He was out there, living his life and it was a stable life. Yet she had to always be on the move.

“Oh for fuck’s sake.” When the phone buzzed twice in a row she was sure it was Julian harassing her more. “Lights off.” She ordered as she grabbed the phone and climbed into the bed, phone in hand.

Two new messages. “Don’t do anything stupid.” Julian had sent and she discarded the message. It didn’t matter, she already knew what she had to do. She couldn’t see him again. She needed to block Steve’s number and cut ties before she got attached. It was bad enough that he knew where she lived and could find her that way. One date in, he wouldn’t have a reason to come see her if she just didn’t answer him. The other message however was from Steve.

“Made it home.” It read and that was all. Maybe he changed his mind and decided he didn’t want to see her again after all. That would make things easier for her. As she held the phone in her hand however another message came in.

Steve: I really am sorry about your dress. And the water.

More messages came in as she smiled at her phone.

Steve: Regardless, I had a really good time.

Steve: Thank you for allowing me the pleasure of taking you out today.

Steve: I hope you had a good time too.

Steve: I’m being informed that I’m coming on strong. I’m sorry. I’m new to this. I’ll leave you alone.

Rosemary couldn’t help laughing at that. He was so endearing and sweet that she was powerless against his charm. Just one message wouldn’t hurt, right? She could pretend for another few minutes before she faced reality and let him down easy.

R: I had a really good time, too. Thanks for letting me know you got home safe.

Steve: I hope I didn’t wake you.

She knew she should stop answering. This was a bad road to go down. Just say good bye. Just say never to contact her again.

R: I just got Mrs. Jones to leave not too long ago.

Steve: She’s a real character, isn’t she?

R: She is but I love her just the way she is.

Steve: I should let you get to sleep. Can I text you tomorrow?

R: Of course. Goodnight

* * *

 

Rosemary plugged her phone in and flopped back on her bed in the dark. Rubbing at her eyes and running her fingers through her hair she tried to figure out what the hell had come over her. Why did she agree? Why didn’t she just block him? Why was she playing with fire. Pulling her fingers down her face, she tried to convince herself she had just gone mad and to grab the phone and block him.

Her fingertips rested on her lower lip as she closed her eyes. If she concentrate enough, she could still feel the warmth of him and the softness of his lips against hers. She was crazy, she knew that. Never had she felt like this before and she just wasn’t ready to give it up.

He’d get tired of her anyway. She was boring and he would move on. She’d have had her chance to discover love and learn of heartbreak. With the experience under her belt, she could move on and forget about it. He would get bored of her and go away on his own in a few weeks. What harm could enjoying the ride do, beyond heartbreak? It wasn’t like she was talking to the police or an Avenger. He just worked in security.

* * *

 

Rosemary really just wanted to paint. Sadly, she had work to do. Steve sent her a good morning text and put her in a good mood, a mood perfect for painting. With a cup of coffee in hand, she sat down at the desk hidden away in the corner of her bedroom. Laptop open and powering on, it looked wholly normal.

Looking down at her phone, she smiled. She and Steve had been chatting all morning off and on. He told her about his delightfully old fashioned family and how he’d been a sickly child. The idea of Steve, tall and strong as a small weak child was hard to believe.

Steve: What about you, any siblings?

R: Only child. I’m pretty much the last of the line.

With a sigh she plugged in the small flash drive. It killed her to lie to Steve and yet she knew she had to. It shouldn’t have hurt this much to do it however, it was a lie she’d told time and time again.

“Authorize access.” A computerized voice spoke.

“Chaos.” She spoke clearly.

“Authorized. Welcome Lady Ramsey. You have 23 pending requests.”

Yeah, she bet she did. With a sigh she commanded the system to open the requests and prepared to get to work. After a few hours of wading through requests for information, requests for favors and offers to sell information, she was beginning to feel cross eyed. Each break to respond to Steve was a welcome breath of fresh air. It gave her a chance to slip back into the daze of ‘what if’ and ‘what could be’.

A intern at Stark Industries wanted to sell trade secrets. That request would be ignored. He was asking far too much for something she wasn’t interested in. It would do no good to draw the attention of Stark.

Another request came from an arms dealer who wanted to be connected with a buyer. Interesting. She’d find them a buyer who would serve her needs. That request was easy enough to grant even if it would encroach on the arms side of their business. The seller would be well aware of it and it would live on as a favor owed. In her line of business, those were more valuable than gold.

A nonprofit medical prosthetic company contacted her. That was interesting. They needed to take down a rival for profit company that was at risk of putting them out of business. They had nothing to offer her. Nothing at all. The rival they needed removed from competition was a large for company who was on the shady side of business.

She would help them, without question. It would be good to have such a company in her pocket. If they owed her a favor she could likely call on them to move product to at need amputees outside of their typical territory. She could use them to benefit many people. Plus if she ever had a personal need for a new limb, she could obtain the best of the best.

The German military was reaching out to her for information on a terrorist cell they were trying to take down. This particular cell was both highly worrying to them and proving to be very evasive. Again, they were not offering nearly enough to justify the risk. Still, a favor owed was more valuable than gold.

With a sigh she remembered the good old days when her web was small and tended by word of mouth, seals and trusted couriers. My, how things have changed. Finally, with the threads of her web tended to she could shut down and get on with her day. It took little time to tend the web each day back then. At least the work for now was done. She looked forward to painting, relaxing and talking more with Steve, though she knew she shouldn’t.

“Armageddon.” She ordered.

“Until next time, Lady Ramsey.”

* * *

 

Tony was dressed in a too expensive suit as he walked the halls of the trade show. He didn’t need to be here but he was. Julian was aware the moment Tony Stark walked through the doors and it put him in a sour mood. That was one man Julian would prefer to have less dealings with. The man radiated arrogance and Julian would give anything to someday get the chance to punch him in the face.

“You know, Mark- If you invested in some better talent you could maybe join the big boys at the top.” Tony Stark was eyeing a cheap model of cellphone that would almost be a competitor to the Stark Phones. It never truly would, they sold on two very different price points and so their target market was inherently different but still, Tony insisted on goading him.

“We’re fine where we are.” Julian smiled, running a hand through his long black hair.

“For real- You’ve got potential. Hand over the company to a board of directors and come intern with SI.” Tony’s offer was honest. It always was, though often hidden under a smirk. Julian had a hard time not rolling his eyes at the arrogant man.

“Not today Stark. Not tomorrow. Not ever.”

“You’ve got potential- you could be a real power player if you wanted to put in the work.” Tony pushed, putting the phone down. “Have your people call my people when you change your mind Mark.”

Julian crossed his arms and watched the great Tony Stark walk away. One of these days he would give anything to put that man in his place. He thought he was so damn great and yet he didn’t know competition when it looked him in the face.

* * *

“Hello?” Rosemary’s back was stiff after another morning spent tending her web.

“Sara, I hope you don’t mind that I’m calling.” Steve’s voice filled her ear and she hated how her heart beat just a little faster for him.

“Not at all! To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Well, what are you doing?” Steve asked evasively.

“Painting.” She lied though a partially completed painting did sit on an easel near the kitchen table. “Why?”

“Mrs. Jones says you like Mochas, is that right?” Rosemary was confused by the question. Why would he be talking to Mrs. Jones and why would he want to know her drink order.

“Yeah?” Rosemary poured some water into a mason jar and grabbed a brush as she heard Mrs. Jones laughing in the background.

“I was going to ask if you’d like to get coffee with me but since I have to walk through the cafe to get to you- May I be permitted the pleasure of enjoying a coffee with you?” Rosemary added a quick wash of blue to the skyline of the painting.

“I’d love that.” She smiled as she loaded blues and purples onto her brush just to dirty the water.

“I’ll be up in a few minutes.” Steve promised before realizing he was perhaps being too forward once again and adding, “Unless you’d rather come down?”

“I’ll see you when you get here.” Rosemary ended the call.

A mocha typically took Mrs. Jones two to three minutes to complete. Assuming Steve was getting a drink for himself she had maybe a minute longer. The cafe wouldn’t be busy right about now but it would take him a minute or two to make it up the stairs. She had maybe five minutes unless he got food to go with the drinks.

She made quick work of unplugging her drive and pulled out the drawer of her desk. Pulling up the false bottom, she tossed it inside and threw her hair up into a wild ponytail that would help sell the idea that she was just painting. It was all just in case and she felt bad for the act. That was odd, she’d never felt bad about it before.

When knocking sounded at her door she took a deep breath. For all the worry, for the rushed cover butterflies still danced in her stomach. She was excited to see him again. It was a terrible idea, a terrible risk but what was the harm? It was just coffee.

“I’m sorry for just showing up like this.” Steve started talking as soon as the door opened.

“It’s fine, really. I was just-” Rosemary motioned back to the painting, doctored to look like an active project. It was one of a handful of started paintings she kept on hand for situations like this.

“If I’m interrupting or an intrusion I can-” He motioned down the stairs with one hand as he passed her a paper to-go travel cup with the other. “I shouldn’t have just shown up like this, I was just riding and...”

“Ended up here?” Rosemary laughed. “Steve. Please, don’t go.”

“Are you sure Sara? I don’t want to take you from your art.” The protest was clearly only offered as a token. His feet were rooted firmly in place and he didn’t really want to go.

“I’m done for now. Honest.” Reaching out with the hand not holding the coffee, she wrapped her fingers around his strong arm. Her grip was loose and her fingers trailed down and they loosely slipped into the palm of his hand. Part of her was screaming to let him go and close the door between them. “Come in?”

“Yeah.” Looking down at her hopeful voice and wrapping his fingers around her hand, he gave her a squeeze. “I’d love to. I wanted to see you again.”

Rosemary smiled at him and showed him into her small apartment. It was better to hold her tongue and not say what she wanted to say. What she wanted to say was that she wanted to see him too. That she was so pleased to see him, even with no warning.

“So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day?” Steve asked.

“Oh,” She stalled. What she should be doing is tending her web. “Nothing, much.”

“Would-” Steve cleared his through before trying again. “Would you like to maybe go see a movie with me?”

“Yes, yes she would.” Mrs. Jones walked through the door as if she owned the place. While, in truth she did actually own the place but that didn’t void Rosemary’s tenant agreement for notice of entry. Not that Mrs. Jones seemed to care

Mrs. Jones had a print out of the movie schedule at the local theater. In all honestly, Rosemary didn’t even know that Arkon had a movie theater.

Mrs. Jones patted Steve’s shoulder and leaned in to not so softly whisper in Rosemary’s ear. “I have more condoms downstairs by the register, if you need them.”

Both with very red faces, they silently watched as Mrs. Jones walked out. The door closed behind her. If a pin dropped in that room it would have echoed through the whole apartment. Each didn’t brave looking at the other. The clock ticked and the sound filled the room. Time dragged on. Steve cleared his throat.

The she braved looking up at him and he braved doing the same. That was all it took for the tension around them to shatter like glass. She smiled through the blush on her cheeks and Steve thought it was one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. It drew a smile to his own face. A giggle slipped passed her lips and he laughed. It spiraled until they were holding on to each other’s arms and laughing hysterically.

“What is Mrs. Jones’ deal?” Steve asked between wheezes.

“She’s been trying to set me up for as long as I’ve known her.” Rosemary admitted.

“How long have you known her?” Steve asked, pulling the list of movies toward him. With his attention focused on it, he didn’t see the short moment where conflict crossed her face.

“Just a year or so.” Rosemary knew she should have tried to dodge the question. It was better if she talked as little about her past as she could. Yet with him, she didn’t want to. She wanted to answer honestly and be herself. She wanted to hear him call her “Rosemary”.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little hot n heavy toward the end...

“I had no idea we even had a movie theater.” Rosemary whispered as she leaned against Steve’s arm. They’d walked to the movie theater from her apartment and she was honestly very annoyed she had never noticed it in the past. Long ago had she stopped paying attention to what was around her in each little town she called home for a short time.

“You live here.” Steve laughed, looking down at the woman who’s arm he had wrapped around his. It felt right to have her on his arm. He tried to tell himself it was too soon to feel like that. Yet he couldn’t help the way it felt, the way she made him feel.

“I hardly ever leave the cafe.” She protested.

“Why is that?” Steve was honestly curious. “This is a great little town.”

“I just...” She knew she messed up. He shouldn’t be curious. She shouldn’t allow the door of curiosity to open. Yet it felt… nice to have someone want to know about her. “I just spend most of my time painting is all.”

“Well, now you know. Maybe we can explore more of this little town.” Holding the door open for her, they entered into the nearly empty theater. Steve loved how easily her small frame slipped around him. It made him feel good to be so much bigger than her.

“We?” She looked at him in question as she slipped passed him. He was so much bigger than her that she felt small whenever he was close. It felt nice, if she was honest.

The idea of them spending more time together, doing more things together made her heart beat faster. It was naive. She couldn’t allow it. It was too much of a risk. She knew better. Julian would kill her himself.

“Yeah, we. At least, I’d like to if you would like to...”

It was clear he was nervous when he looked down at her. It seemed he was always assuming things, assuming he would have the thing he wanted- more time with her. The words just seemed to leave his mouth before he could think through the sort of pressure he was putting on her with his assumptions. All he could do once the words were spoken however was either backpedal awkwardly or shut up and hope for the best. This time he was aiming for shutting up. His dignity couldn’t take anymore backpedaling.

“I’d like that too.”

The answer came suddenly and she even looked surprised when the words left her lips. That was for good reason, she intended to spit out some excuse about needing to go visit a long lost friend and be out of touch for a bit. Drop off his radar and be done with it. That wasn’t what came out however.

Steve purchased the tickets to the only movie starting anytime soon titled “Before Dawn” and refused to allow her to pay him back. A starving artist shouldn’t be spending money on a movie when it was his idea, he told her.

“Firstly, I’m pretty sure this was actually Mrs. Jones’ idea. Second, I’m not a starving artist, I could have gotten it and the popcorn.” That was a mistake. It opened the door to questions and she realized she slipped up as soon as the words were out. He just shut her brain off and she wanted nothing more than to be normal with him.

“What do you do, then? I assumed the painting was your career.” Steve asked but quickly added, “Not that you’re not good enough to provide for yourself- it’s just I know how hard artist can work and see little return for it. Not that I’m assuming you get little return for it. I should stop talking, shouldn’t I?”

Rosemary laughed and it felt good. She shouldn’t be laughing however, he asked the question she had dreaded. He wasn’t dumb and it seemed he really wanted to get to know her, to learn of her. It was sweet and made her heart flutter in her chest. It was no good.

“I do some data entry for a few small businesses. Accounting and stuff.” Sure, that sounded good. Why not? File that away mentally in the folder of ‘lies thought of on the spot that may or may not bite me in the ass later’. The answer seemed to satisfy him however and the talking returned to easier topics as they found their seats in the dark theater.

“Do you know what this is about?” Steve leaned over and whispered as the previews played on the large screen. The theater was mostly empty.

“Romantic comedy I think. Some cross cultural love story. Posh London city boy meets country cowgirl I think. Mrs. Jones was going on and on about it- some actor she has a crush on leads. Tom something or another.”

* * *

They watched the movie itself mostly in silence. It was good in that it gave Rosemary a way to spend time with him without opening the door to more questions. Yet as time passed, each time he would move his arm would brush up against hers. Finally, with a sly look in her direction, Steve draped his arm over the back of her chair.

He was so mindful in the action to avoid touching her more than a little. He didn’t pull her to him and he didn’t wrap his arm around her but she could feel the heat of him just the same. A while later, she found herself leaning into his side completely unsure when the armrest between the seats had been pushed up.

His arm no longer was draped around the chair but rather was wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her snugly in place. The warmth radiating off him was relaxing and she wondered for a moment what it would be like to fall asleep tucked into his side. She could feel his chest move with each breath and when he would laugh she could feel him move with it.

Never in her life had she been held like this. As she rested her head against him, she prayed she would have the strength to do what had to be done. This couldn’t be allowed to continue. She needed to stop it. But she could at least finish out their time together today first, right?

As the movie played she relaxed without even noticing it. The warmth of him, the smell of him combined in the dark room to lull her into comfort. With a heavy sigh she decided she could indulge for the next hour or so. His hand rubbed against her arm, drawing her somehow closer still.

On the screen they watched a posh English man bumble his way through small town life in the country while setting up a local branch of a global company. With a fierce and sassy cow girl pushing him to do more, try more and learn to see more than what he knew the Englishman slowly fell in love with a woman who was nothing like what he was taught to expect. Their love story unfolded on the screen in a make believe world where all important conversations took place at sunset or dawn and the weather was always perfect for a romantic horseback ride.

At some point she had moved to be completely cuddled up to his side, his arm was heavy and warm around her. She could feel the tips of his fingers resting on her hip while her own legs were drawn up, knees resting against his thick thighs. One hand rested in her lap and the other was relaxed against his abdomen.

She could feel every breath he took, every soft chuckle. Nothing made it passed her. Yet she was surprised when she felt his nose nestle against the top of her head while the characters on the screen proclaimed their love for each other. His breath was warm against the top of her head and she could feel his mouth pressed against her head. Was it a kiss in the dark? She had no way to know.

Closing her eyes, Rosemary pushed back the tears as she realized she could easily fall in love with Steve. Without trying to, without meaning to she could give her heart to him. It felt so good to be with him and he was everything she wanted when they would talk. He was everything she could want and she couldn’t have it.

Taking a deep breath, she made her choice. This would be the end. There would be no more talking to Steve. Never again would she open the door to him. She wouldn’t take his calls. In time, he would forget about her. She was unremarkable.

“Everything okay?” Steve’s hushed whisper made her realize a tear slipped down her face, dripping onto his shirt and her breath was not as even as it should have been. Silently, she nodded her head and prayed he would assume it was happy tears from watching the love story unfold.

When he held her just a little closer she whispered back, “I’m fine.” and he hummed in acknowledgment as the movie played on. On the screen in front of her, the couple kissed and held each other close in a way Rosemary realized she would probably never experience. This was all she would get. This would be all she could get.

With a deep breath she told herself she would enjoy the time she had. It was only maybe another hour that she could have this sweet warmth that he gave her. The credits began to roll as she took a deep breath to steady herself for a walk home.

* * *

Steve glanced down at her as they walked. The conversation seemed to flow freely enough between them but it was as if there was some sort of wall between them that wasn’t there when they sat down in the theater. It confused him in that things seemed to have been going so well.

Even as he walked chatting lightly with her, he could remember the warmth of her body pressed into his side. As he thought back to the dark theater it was like the smell of her fruity shampoo was stuck in his memory. He analyzed everything he did during the movie but she seemed fine with everything. Not once did she pull away or did he pick up on any discomfort.

“Come up for a drink?” The timid way she asked made him smile. It warmed his heart how naive she seemed to be. It wasn’t often he ran into women that reminded him of another time, of his time.

True, the dresses she wore were lower cut or higher hemmed than would ever be considered appropriate. They also clung to her curves in a way that the fabrics of his time and financial means at the time would never have allowed. Her hair flowed down in loose waves and curls of red that mesmerized him.

She mesmerized him, plain and simple. Yet apparently he had done something to cause upset in this sensitive unnamed thing that they had. What even was it that they had? Things worked so differently now, did he get to call her his girl yet?

“I’d love to.” The smile she gave him was sweet but looked almost pained.

* * *

Crossing the cafe toward the steps to her apartment it took everything Rosemary had to not look at Mrs. Jones. The old woman was still working the cafe counter and to anyone else, it would look like she just decided to stay open a bit latter into the afternoon than was normal.

Rosemary knew however Mrs. Jones was staying to get the pleasure of wiggling her eyebrows at them as they crossed the floor and disappeared up the stairs. Surely, just as soon as Steve left the old woman would be up the stairs somehow free of pain and asking twenty questions with a slice of pie in hand to buy answers.

Once inside her apartment she made quick work of opening the bottle of wine and pouring two glasses. After a few deep breaths she turned to face Steve, handing him his glass.

“It’s not nearly as nice as the one you brought for the picnic but...”

“It’s fine- I didn’t even pick that, Tony did.” Rosemary knew Tony was a friend and coworker of Steve’s. Silence stretched on as they both stood awkwardly in the small space between the living and dining areas of her small apartment. They where standing an arms length away and her body was tense with nerves.

“Look, Sara.” This time she cringed when he called her name. She hated that name. “I don’t want you to think I’m ever going to make you do anything. I-” She cut him off.

“I can’t do this. We-” She motioned between them. “can’t do this.”

“Do what?” Steve ran his hand through his hair, turning to look out the window for a moment before facing her. “Talk? Watch movies? Drink wine?”

“Be together.” Rosemary pressed, not stepping away when he took a step toward her. She downed her glass of wine and turned to fill it again.

“Be together?” Steve parroted back, making Rosemary worry that she had misread the situation all together. “Are we together?” Steve asked softly.

“I don’t know.” Rosemary admitted. “I’ve never done this before. I’ve never been on a date before you. I’ve never held someone’s hand. I’ve never...” Rather than finishing where her rant was going she decided to finish the glass of wine.

“You’ve never?” Steve stepped closer to her and took the bottle from her. Two glasses of wine in ten minutes was impressive.

“We can’t do this.” She pleaded.

“I’m not going to do anything unless you want me to.” Steve tried to reassure, thinking she was worried he was after more than just her time today.

“I can’t be with you.” She pressed, looking at him with tears in her eyes.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“It’s dangerous. You have to stop coming. You have to stop calling. We’ve got to stop.” Closing her eyes she tried to tell herself to tell him that she just didn’t want him. She should yell, scream and push him away but her heart was hurting too much.

“I’m not worried about dangerous.” Steve reached out and ran his hand up and down her arm as a tear slipped down her face. “Are you in trouble? Did you do something?” She laughed and looked away.

“I can’t talk about it.” She answered honestly.

“Are you hurting people?” Steve asked and she shook her head ‘no’ though it wasn’t the whole truth. She avoided hurting people when at all possible and tried to balance the evil things she sometimes helped happen with good deeds. “Not really. I try not to.”

“Is someone after you?” Steve asked stepping closer and setting his wine glass down on the counter behind her.

“A lot of people are after me.” She admitted and blamed the wine. “I can’t talk about it. I can’t tell you about it. But we can’t do this. It’s not safe for you. It’s not safe for me.”

“Do you not like me?” Steve asked sadly.

“No- that’s the thing. I like you, Steve. I like you a lot. That’s why we can’t-”

She couldn’t finish what she was saying. He reached out for her so suddenly that she had no way to process what was about to happen. With one arm wrapped around her waist and his other hand softly around the back of her neck, his lips were on hers in the blink of an eye.

Her hands reached up and braced themselves against his chest but she did not push him away. It was over as soon as it began. Steve pulled away just as she relaxed, allowing her eyes to slide closed. Each breath fanned over her as he held her close.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. That was out of line.” She cut his rambling off.

“Do it again.” Taking a deep breath, she repeated herself. “Do it again if you’re really okay with me having my secrets, if you understand that I’m scared and have never done this before. Do it again?” She was practically begging him as a few tears escaped her eyes.

Steve knew he should walk away, secrets were never the way to start a relationship but didn’t he have his own? She had no idea who he was and what he did for work. Just security- the idea would have made him laugh if not for the tears running down her face.

“Please?” The word was more a whimper than anything as she looked up to him, clutching his shirt.

She desperately wanted him to kiss her again and make her mind stop working for a while. She wouldn't be surprised however if he walked out. Why would he stay? She told him she had people potentially after her and that she wouldn’t be able to tell him more. It was better if he didn’t kiss her. If this is what scared him away that would be a good thing. The risk of opening herself up, of allowing him to get closer when he could never know the truth was too great. One day no matter how much she cared for him and he for her, he would wake up in the morning and all trace of her would be gone.

His kiss was softer this time however she clung to him just the same. Without experience to guide her, she let him lead and followed instinct. His lips felt amazing against hers. Slowly, he walked them backwards and she trusted him not to run them into anything.

His tongue swept across her lower lip and she sighed. It wasn’t a feeling she had expected to like but in reality she did. The slick muscle slipped between her lips and she was lost as to what she should do so she copied him. Their tongues twisted and rubbed against one another.

A strong arm reached down and pulled her legs out from under her. Still, he kept kissing her as he sat down on the couch, her legs stretched across his lap. Her hands ran up his chest, enjoying the feel of the strong muscle under the shirt to warp around his shoulder and tangle in his hair.

“I want to be here for you.” Steve whispered as his lips finally left hers only to begin kissing along her jaw. “I will be here for you, if you let me.”

“I can’t ask you too.” She sighed as she tried to hold herself closer to him.

“You don’t have to ask.” Steve sucked her earlobe between his lips and gave it a soft nibble, enjoying the way a shudder ran down her back. Leaning to the side, he guided her down to rest on her back as he kissed and nibbled his way down her neck to her shoulder.

“Trust me.” Steve breathed the words against the hollow of her throat. “You don’t have to tell me all your secrets right now but in time, try to trust me.”

“Okay.”

She couldn’t even think right as he began to work his way up her neck again. Their lips met again as Steve nestled his weight over her. The heat from his body was radiating down at her and she wouldn’t have it any other way. He was pressed into her hip and thighs but she didn’t mind at all.

He shifted and rocked against her as he deeply kissed her and she could feel him against her. It was something she’d never thought she would feel but he was stiff and firm in his jeans. She moaned as he rocked against her again. Desire she didn’t understand flooded her. It was terrifying and addicting all at the same time.

“You’ll give me a chance?” Steve whispered as he pulled away, hovering just an inch above her. She leaned up and kissed him, pulling him to her but he resisted the urge to delve into her kiss again. “Will you not push me away?”

Finally she nodded. With that settled, Steve needed to settle down himself. He slipped his arm under the small of her back and up between her shoulders. When he sat up, he took her with him. She was straddling his lap with her knees on either side of his hips when his back rested against the couch.

“I won’t ask the things you don’t want me to right now. I won’t ask them next week or even next month. Eventually I hope you’ll trust me enough to tell me. Eventually I’ll need to know but now isn’t the time. Okay?”

More tears slipped down her face as she meekly nodded. It would never be the right time to tell him. She would never be able to trust him enough. But for now, he wouldn’t ask. As she nestled herself onto his chest and allowed him to hold her, a small voice in the back of her mind spoke hopeful what-if’s.

What if she could trust him enough in time? What if she could tell him in a few months? What if he could come with her next time she had to disappear? What if he fell in love with her? What if she fell in love with him? What if?


	6. Chapter 6

Rosemary let her head thump against the door when she heard his footsteps reach the bottom of the staircase. It took all her self control to hold her head up and not again thump it against the door as she listened to the sound of Steve’s footsteps go down the stairs. It was like as soon as the door closed behind him, her sanity returned and reality crashed down around her.

Tears welled in her eyes as she struggled to breath calmly. It felt like the walls were crashing down around her. He was everything she wanted and more. Tears dripped from her chin as a shaking hand reached up to touch her lips. They were soft and swollen still from the kisses they had shared. She was well and truly in over her head.

The sound of her phone vibrating in her purse finally drew her away from the door. At least she was lucky enough that Mrs. Jones hadn’t found her way up the stairs yet. She thought about ignoring it but she knew who it was calling.

Jillian had a special ring setting in her phone. It never had any sound regardless of what her phone was set to. Rather it just vibrated, starting strong and tapering off until nothing twice and that was it. Enough to get her attention without raising any red flags.

He would have known she left the house today and would be looking to know why. She didn’t really feel like getting into it with him. Yet if she didn’t answer he would worry for good reason. She moved around and hid not because she wanted to but because she had to.

It was better if she could never be tracked down. Within the underground world it was assumed that Julian was a sole operator. Rosemary herself was treated as a myth. Some people claimed to have seen her. Others claimed she didn’t actually exist. It was safer that way.

With a sigh she walked back to the now silent phone. It was still ringing inside the purse as she picked it up though the phone was now still and the screen was dark. Still she unlocked it and hit the call button and like magic a call was received from a cryptic contact labeled only as ‘J’.

“Hey.” Rosemary hated how defeated she sounded.

“You okay?” Julian seemed to pick up on the emotions in her voice right away and put the twenty questions on hold for a moment.

“Yeah. I’m just feeling… I don’t know.”

“Did something happen today? You went out.”

“Yeah. No. I don’t know?” Julian laughed at her confused and conflicted response but sobered quickly.

“You sound like you’ve been crying?”

“Yeah I have.”

“Did someone find you?” Julian was probably pacing the secure room that was behind his office right now. It was where he often went to when they actually talked on the phone. They mainly communicated by texts that were wiped within an hour of being read or the text program being closed.

“No one found me.” She reassured him. That was a fear that lived just as much in his mind as hers.

“Then what’s wrong?”

“I went to see a movie.” She admitted as if it was some dirty secret.

“And? Who did you go with?”

“Steve.”

“You shouldn’t even still be seeing him.” Julian scolds but she knows it is out of true concern for her well being.

“You don’t understand.” That was something she’d never told him before. “I’m always alone Julian. Always-”

“No you’re not. I’m always right here for-”

“No, Julian you’re not. You’re in the big city two hours away. And that’s the closest we’ve really been in the last five years. He’s kind and sweet.”

“And he could get you killed.” Julian heaved a sigh and she was sure he was pinching the bridge of his nose. Some old habits would only die when he did. “What about when he gets tired of you hiding things? What about when you have to just up and leave?”

“He said I could have my secrets.”

“For now.” She cringed because that’s essentially what he had said. She could have her secrets for now. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m not going to be found-”

“I don’t just mean- Listen to me, Rose. I don’t want him to break your heart. I don’t want you to fall in love and have to leave him behind. I just want to protect you.”

“I want you to trust me.” Never in her life did she think she would be pleading Julian for anything yet here she was with tears in her eyes while she fought to keep her voice steady.

“Rosemary.”

“No.” One deep breath. Two deep breaths. “I’m sorry. I swear I wont tell him anything. I swear if I have to pack up and leave, I’ll do it. But let me have this.”

* * *

Steve lounged on the couch, beer in hand as Bucky wondered out of the bathroom. His dark hair was a damp mess of waves and sweatpants slung low on his hips. Any woman would kill to have a man like him if not for a few tiny details. The lingering shadow of mental instability, history of murder and missing limb all very valid reasons to run the other way. Still Steve loved his friend like a brother and like a brother Bucky took an interest in Steve’s personal life even when he didn’t want him to.

“How’d it go?” Bucky’s voice carried well enough though the apartment for him to be heard even as he rummaged through his closet in his bedroom.

“Good.” Steve called back. “Then not so good. Then great.”

“What does that even mean?” Bucky came down the hall while pulling a shirt down his torso. “What did you fuck up now?”

“Nothing, why do you automatically assume I fucked up somehow?” Shock crossed Steve’s face.

“You’re the one that said things went ‘good, then not so good, then great’.” Bucky pointed out as he sat down on the coffee table that somehow managed to hold up to the both of them using it as another chair more often than not. “What happened and start from the beginning.”

* * *

Six beers between the two men and one long recounting of Steve’s somewhat odd day in great detail later, it was late and they both were tired. Steve’s head was tilted back, resting against the back of the couch and closed his eyes. He was wholly done with the conversation.

“Look, I like her- okay?” Steve didn’t even look over at Bucky as he spoke. “I like Sara. A lot.”

“Okay, yeah. I get that. But she’s got secrets big enough that she tried to break things off with you before you’ve even started. And she won’t even tell you what they are.”

“So? It’s not like I’m going to marry her tomorrow or next week.” Steve reached down and picked up his beer only to find it empty and set it down again. It didn’t matter- it wasn’t as if he could get drunk off them anymore. Still, drinking them gave him a sense of normalcy he craved.

“Is her name even Sara?”

“I have no reason to think it isn’t. Anyway it’s not like she’s Hydra or anything.”

“How do you know that? Have you looked into her? What’s her last name?”

“Buck. She’s a small town artist who paints watercolors. She doesn’t eve own a car.” Steve laughed at the absurdity of the idea. “What ever it is that upset her it’s probably overbearing family or something.”

“Or maybe drug lords she owes money to? Maybe a husband she’s hiding? Maybe she’s the daughter of a Hydra official?”

“You do realize how crazy you sound, right?”

“In your line of work- can you really be too careful?” Buck stood, snagging his empty bottles and Steve’s off the coffee table.

“In  _our_ line of work its healthy to embrace the normal and she is just that, normal.” Bucky scoffed while tossing the bottles into the trash. Steve rolled his eyes before standing to face his life long friend. “If and when her and I get serious if she still doesn’t trust me with her secrets I’ll consider looking into her.”

“Man, I’m telling you this stinks so just be careful.” Bucky offered.

“Find yourself a relationship so you can stop meddling in mine.” Steve called out to his friend’s retreating back.

* * *

“Why are you pacing?” Bucky’s groggy voice cut through the morning air. “It’s not even seven.”

“I’m thinking.”

“Not about making a pot of coffee it seems.” Grumbling, Bucky set about making a pot of coffee since Steve clearly had other things on his mind.

“She doesn’t know.”

Bucky sighed and squeezed his eyes closed. It was too early for this shit. “Who doesn’t know what?”

“Sara and who I am.”

“How the hell does she not know who you are? Did  _you_ give her your actual name? You did, right?” Bucky watched intently as the dark liquid began to drip into the pot. It wasn’t filling fast enough.

“Yes I told her my actual name.”

“So, what’s the problem?” Bucky glared at the coffee pot. It was filling too slow for this conversation.

“She doesn’t watch much TV or pay much attention to the news.” Another trip across the living room and back was completed and the next was started. Steve still hadn’t slowed his pacing.

“So?” The pot finally finished and Bucky wasted no time in filling his mug. A generous splash of cream lowered the temp enough that he could begin sipping it.

“I told her I work in security.” Steve finally stopped, collapsing into a stool at the breakfast bar in front of Bucky.

“It’s not a lie, I guess.” A few more sips of coffee and Bucky was starting to think better. “I guess you can’t hold her secrets against her if you keep your own. Why didn’t you tell her?”

“Because she was talking to me to talk to me. Not to talk to Captain fucking America.”

“Bitter over your title now?”

“No. Maybe, a bit. Sometimes? It’s nice to not have it be the first thing she saw.”

Steve hated to admit it but the weight of the title was heavy and the fans were tiring. He’d long ago given up on a social life outside of those he worked with because all he was ever seen as was ‘Captian America’ by the general public. He couldn’t blame them, really. In their place he would have been the same way in the 40’s.

“Why’s this an immediate problem that has you pacing at half till seven? She’s got her secrets so she can’t be too mad about you having one.”

“Because we’re going on a mission. We leave in the afternoon.”

“You didn’t think about leading off with that? Like, ‘hey, maybe drink some coffee and pack for work and I’ll unpack my drama on the jet.’?” Bucky grumbled as he downed the rest of his mug only to refill it.

“You’ve got a point.”

“How long we looking at?”

“A few weeks.”

“How deep?”

“Minimal contact but not a total black out.” Steve stood, knowing he needed to start getting his things in order, make sure the bills for the next few weeks would auto pay and he would have everything he needed and would want during the weeks away packed.

“You’ll at least still be able to talk to her.”

“Not as much as I am now.” Steve sighed. “I’ve got to tell her.”

“She’ll probably just worry if you do.” Bucky pointed out, coming around the kitchen island.

“True. But if something were to happen she’d never know.”

“Nothing ever happens.” Bucky offered.

“But if something did. Even if we end up having to go dark without warning- I don’t want her thinking I don’t want to see her anymore or that she did something wrong.” Steve was justifying his choice but they both knew he would tell her. His strong moral compass wouldn’t allow him to go on a mission for over a week and not tell her.

* * *

The ping of an incoming message drew Rosemary’s attention from her computer. She was tired and her back was stiff but today was a busy day it seemed. Her web of informants were providing a steady stream of information. Some of it was outright profitable, other things not so much. Yet most of it was useful in some way.

Steve: Good Morning, Doll. Sleep well?

Rosemary smiled. He texted her something similar most mornings though she didn’t realize it was in fact morning already. She managed to work through the night.

Rosemary: Stayed up too late painting

Steve: I didn’t wake you, did I?

Rosemary: Not at all. I’ve not actually slept yet. Oops?

Steve: Can I come by?

Steve: Or call?

Steve: Calling probably would be better. I don’t really have the time to drive out.

Rosemary frowned at her phone as she watched the string of messages come in. Something was up. Steve wasn’t acting or at least messaging as he normally did. He seemed nervous and that put her on edge. Was he going to break up with her? Did she do something wrong? Did he decide that the secrets were too much after all? Did he find out she wasn’t who she said she was?

Rosemary: Sure. Everything okay?

The phone started ringing a moment later.

“Mute music.” Rosemary ordered the computer as took a deep breath and answered. “Hey?”

“Hey Sara.” He sounded as anxious as he did in the texts.

“What’s up?” She tried to sound relaxed herself but feared she didn’t do a good job of it. “Everything okay?”

“I just… Look, Sara- I wasn’t completely honest with you before when I said I work in security.”

“Okay? So what, you’re security for the Mob?” She tried to laugh at her own joke as she thought about if she should have done an information search on Steve before after all.

“No. Nothing like that. I mean, nothing illegal like that at least.”

“Okay.”

“I just, I was so caught off guard when you asked me what I did for work. No one ever asks that. Everyone just already knows. It was nice that you didn’t know. I liked that you saw me for me and that it didn’t matter.”

“You’re rambling, Steve.”

“Right.”

“Why would I know who you are?”

“Because I’m… Look, are you sitting down?”

“Yep.”

“I work with the Avengers.” Rosemary cringed. Of fucking course he did.

“Doing?”

“I’m Steve Rogers.”

“You said that already.”

“I’m Captain America.”

“Excuse me, you’re who now?” Rosemary shut the lid of her laptop with far more force than intended.

“Sara, I said I’m Captain America.” Steve repeated and Rosemary could hear laughing in the background on his end. Her mind clicked into overdrive as she tried to place who could be there.

“Okay. What does that mean for-” Her voice trailed off. She wasn’t sure if they even had an ‘us’.

“Us?” He offered the word softly and she nodded, though he couldn’t see it. “It doesn’t have to change anything. I’m still the same Steve, my job’s just a bit different.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rosemary felt guilty for asking with all that she hadn’t told him but she was curious. “It’s okay if you don’t want to explain it. It doesn’t matter, really.”

“I didn’t mean to. It’s just… you didn’t realize who I was and just saw me for me. I didn’t want to become just Cap to you.” She listened as he heaved a sigh from the city. “If you don’t want to hear from me again, that’s fine. I’d understand.”

“No- I do.” She answered impulsively and cringed. “I just… what made you tell me?”

“Well it’s about work.” Rosemary nearly dropped her phone.

“What’s that?” She tried to keep her voice calm.

“I’m going to be going out on a mission for the next few weeks.”

“Will it be dangerous?” Rosemary bit her lip as she tried to think.

“Any mission can be.” Steve admitted. “We don’t expect this one to be too dangerous though.”

“So you’ll be gone for a while?”

“Yeah. But this one isn’t expected to be a total communication black out. I’ll have my phone on me and be able to text during down time. I may even be able to swing a few calls.”

“Will that be safe?” She took a deep breath. “That’s a dumb question.”

“I won’t access my phone unless it’s safe for me to do so. I won’t call unless it’s safe. I won’t put you in danger.”

“Okay. Promise you will be as safe as you can be?”

“I will. If I do have to go dark I’ll try to let you know.”

“What if…?”

“Something goes wrong?”

“Yeah.”

“Nothing will go wrong.” Steve reassured.

“But if it does?”

“If things go bad it will probably be in the news.” Steve laughed for a moment but stopped when she didn’t join in. “Okay- not funny. I’ll let the team know that if something happens to me to let you know. But nothing will happen. It’s routine.”

“Okay.” She breathed the word twice as she tried to convince herself that it would be okay.

“I needed you to know who I really was. I didn’t want you to be upset if I couldn’t talk as much as we have been.”

“That makes sense. I’ll just take what I can get. You’ll let me know when you’re back?”

“First thing.” Steve promised. “But also- I wanted you to know that whatever the reasons you have for your secrets, I can keep you safe if and when you let me in on whatever it is.”

“I can’t.” Her voice was tight and she suddenly wanted to cry as dumb as it was. “I can’t tell you. You can’t ask me too.”

“I won’t. I won’t right now but I hope in time you’ll trust me. I want to earn your trust.”

“In time.”

“I should get going. I’ve got to pack still…”

“Let me know when you leave?”

“Will do.”

Rosemary ended the call with a sigh and threw her phone on the bed behind her. Wasting no time she started pacing the bedroom. Wine was a good idea, surely. Or maybe not. She needed to call Julian. She needed to leave, get off Steve’s radar. He was a fucking Avenger.

“Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuckity fucking fuck.”

She didn’t want to go. Surely there was someway she could spin it with Julian some way that he would allow her to stay. That thought caused her to stop in her tracks. Julian wasn’t her keeper. He wasn’t her boss. He wasn’t her elder brother. He wasn’t her father. They were equals, partners. She wouldn’t allow him to make her choice for her.

Now she just needed to decide what she wanted to do.


	7. Chapter 7

 

Rosemary sighed and grabbed her third cup of coffee from the cafe downstairs. It had only been an hour and a half since she got off the phone with Steve and time was dragging. Mrs. Jones was nowhere in sight this time, thankfully or she would likely delivered a lecture on the amount of caffeine she was consuming. The last coffee run had her greeted with no less than a hundred questions about Steve and her. All were questions she wasn’t sure how to answer.

With a third coffee in hand however, Rosemary was sure of her decision. She just needed to talk to Julian. It was better she be the one to tell him but she was not looking forward to it. In all honesty, telling Julian that Steve was Captain America ranked near the top of the list of things she didn’t want to do. It out ranked doing the dishes and cleaning the toilet.

Once the door was closed behind her. Rosemary threw the lock and added the chain. She hardly ever used it but it was the only thing that could keep Mrs. Jones out when her hip was feeling well enough to allow her to come snooping. With shaking fingers she dialed the number she knew like the back of her hand while giving one last look back at the door to make sure it was locked as she made her way to her bedroom for the fateful call.

“Hey R, is everything okay?” Julian’s voice is thick with worry. It wasn’t often that they called each other at all.

“Yeah, yeah. Everything is fine. Why wouldn’t things be fine?”

“Because you’re calling?” Okay, he had a point there. She had to give him that.

“Bloody hell.” She sighed as she slipped into her natural voice. “Alright. Steve told me something and I had to go lookin into him.”

“What did he tell you? Who is Steve?” She could picture Julian sitting down heavily in the leather chair he kept in his hidden office behind the large desk that commanded authority though none would ever see it.

“Steve is…” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Steve’s Captain America. Steve is Steve Rogers.”

“Rose. Fuckin hell Rose.” Julian dropped his American accent as well. “I’ll arrange to have you moved.”

“No.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I’ve been thinking and I think it would raise more questions if I go. If I just disappear he could look for me.”  
“People disappear on others all the time. They even have a name for it. It’s called ‘ghosting’. He’ll be fine.”

“No, he was born in the 40’s J. And I told him I have secrets I can’t tell him. He would look for me, I’m sure of it.”

“Rose, we both know that if you need to disappear no one can find you.”

“I know. But if someone with his resources starts looking it still makes things hard. You and I both know that there are rumors that I exist and where I am. Is there anywhere I could be safer than next to Captain America?”

“Yes, on the other side of the bloody country from Captain fucking America!” Julian snapped.

“No one would think his girl is anything less than spotless.” Rosemary pressed.

“Stop thinking with your lady dick. It’s stupid to want to stay.”

“Stop thinking with my what?” Rosemary couldn’t help but laugh. Here they were, bickering and he went and said something as dumb as that. “What does that even mean?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt because you’re lonely or want to get laid.”

“Julian, I’ve never even gotten laid in my life. Because I never get to risk getting close to anyone. So yeah, I’m lonely. He’s kind and sweet and he likes me, J. He likes me and I can’t even tell him who I am. So let me have this for as long as I can safely have it.”

“You can’t safely have it at all.” He snapped. “You know, the longer you drag it out the more he will look for you when you do have to leave?” Her brother sounded defeated on the other end of the line.

“I’ll break up with him. Write him a Dear John letter and he won’t have a reason to come find me.” She shrugged as if he could see it.

“Let it be known that I think this is a dumb ass decision.”

“It is known.” She agreed. “I love you, Julian.”

“You too, Rose. When you need out, get out. I need you to be safe. All we have is each other.”

“I promise, I won’t put myself at any more risk.”

“Rose?”

“yeah?”

“Don’t fall in love with him, okay? Whatever you have, it’s got to just be temporary. I’ve got to go, I’ve got a meeting.” The line disconnected. Julian never really believed in saying ‘good bye’.

“Don’t fall in love with him?” Talking to oneself was never a good sign she thought. “I’m not going to fall in love...”

She tossed the phone onto her bed and sat down at her desk. Work wasn’t going to get done anytime soon. Instead she twisted the chair this way and that, her foot bounced on the wheel of the chair while she chewed her lip. It would be easy enough to not fall in love, right?

Rosemary let her head fall to her desk with a pretty solid thump. It hurt a bit but she had hoped it would knock some sense into her. Sadly, it did not have the desired result. She debated lifting her head and trying again. The sound of wind chimes softly filled the air.

With a sigh she picked her head up and looked at the clock. She’d managed to kill the whole morning and all she’d had ingested today was coffee. When had she last eaten? Again the sound of wind chimes filled the air, drawing her to her feet.

“Fine.” She mumbled as she walked over to her bed and plucked her phone up. She unlocked it as she walked to the kitchen- a bagel would count as food. Two new messages from Steve showed as received in her notifications.

Steve: I’ve got about six hours to burn before I have to be ready to go.

Steve: I’d like to come out and see you before I go.

As she popped half a bagel into the toaster more messages came in.

Steve: I’m already packed. I’ve read the file already. I’m not really needed here until we take off.

Steve: That is if you want to see me.

Steve: Unless you are going to go get some sleep.

Steve: You said you haven’t slept yet. You should sleep. I should let you sleep.

Rosemary: Wait hold on. You can come. I’ll probably try and nap but call when you’re rolling into town if you want.

Rosemary: No promises I’ll be good company.

Steve: You should just sleep. I was being impulsive and wanted to see you.

Rosemary: I want to see you. I’d like to see you before you go but do you really have time?

Steve: Wheels up in six hours. That’s plenty of time.

Rosemary: It’s two hours drive each way.

Steve: I can make it in maybe half that if I push it.

Rosemary: Don’t be reckless, Steve.

Steve: Sara, people have been telling me that since the 40’s and I’m still kicking.

Rosemary: You spent 70 years not kicking due to being frozen solid.

Steve: You have a point.

Rosemary: If it’s really okay that you leave, please come?

Steve: I was hoping you would say that.

Steve: leaving now. Get a nap in and we’ll watch a movie or something.

* * *

Rosemary was pulled from a deep sleep by the sound of heavy knocking on her door. Instantly she knew it wasn’t Mrs. Jones. She removed the chain when she went to sleep and Mrs. Jones would have walked right in. If she had knocked it would have been much lighter. Blinking, she tried to clear the fog of sleep from her mind as she slowly reached under the couch cushion to grab the very large, very sharp dagger that lived there.

“Sara?” Steve’s voice called through the door and instantly she let go of the dagger and pulled her hand out from under the cushion.

“Coming.” Her voice was still thick with sleep as she tired to remember if she removed the AI chip from her laptop or even closed the screen.

Regardless, she didn’t have time to check. Steve was here. Glancing at her phone she saw she had indeed been asleep nearly two hours and had three missed calls from Steve that she must have slept through. Running a hand through her hair in an effort to straighten it, she made her way to the door. She too a quick look through the peep hole in the door before pulling it open.

“Sara?” Steve’s voice was colored with concern. “I shouldn’t have come. I should have let you sleep. I’m so sorry for waking you...”

His voice trailed off as she quickly stepped forward and slipped her arms around his waist. She leaned into him as she softly said his name. The weight of his strong arms settled around her, holding her close.

“Sara?” He softly questioned as she sniffled, holding herself tightly to him.

A breath shuddered through her as tears welled in her eyes. Steve crouched a bit as he reached around her front with one arm. Quickly he hooked an arm behind her legs and swept her up into his arms. He lifted her as if she weighed nothing and she supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised.

Still, as her feet left the ground she threw her arms up around his neck to hold on. Smooth calm steps took them into the apartment. She was surrounded by the scent of him as she clung to him. Gently he kicked her apartment door closed behind him as she buried her face in his neck.

The leather of his jacket was smooth and soft under her arms and she tried to focus on that. Still the tears wouldn’t stop. It was as if a clogged faucet had finally been cleared. Her heart hurt for all that she had lost over her life. It shattered for all the opportunities that had been taken from her for the crime of being born into the wrong family. Tears spilled down her face and onto Steve’s warm neck as she mourned the childhood her and her brother should have had.

“Sara?” Steve again questioned as he sat down on the couch, holding her closer still to him somehow. Sobs shuddered through her. Never in her life had anyone other than Julian held her as she cried and even then it was never as soothing as it was held tightly in Steve’s arms.

“I bloody hate that name.” She cringed at how naked her voice was, natural accent coming through clear. If it bothered Steve, he didn’t show it.

“What name?” He asked instead. “Sara?”

She nodded weakly, not even bothering to lift her head from the crook of his shoulder. He was so warm. She felt so safe where she was. She could feel the thumping of his heart under his jacket against her.

“Is there something you would rather I call you?” Steve softly asked, large hand rubbing her hip.

“Rose.” The name was a whisper. The tears were still coming however they were slower now and her breathing was calmer. She couldn’t believe she was doing this, saying this to him.

“Is there a reason why? You don’t have to tell me.” His cheek was resting against the top of her head as he held onto her.

“It…” She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried again. Still she could not school her accent. “It is my middle name.”

It was as close to saying ‘it is my name’ as she could come. It was more than she should tell him. She didn’t even know what the middle name was on this identity. It could be a mistake. It could be the mistake that gets her caught. It could be the mistake that gets her killed. She couldn’t bring herself to care about that. All she could care about was how safe she felt in his arms.

“Okay. Rose it is. Did I do do something to upset you?” Steve felt selfish for asking. He was pretty sure whatever had caused the tears, it wasn’t him. Still he craved that reassurance even as she clung to him.

“No.”

“Do you want to talk about it? You can tell me as much or as little as you want. I won’t make you say any more than you want to.”

“I can’t.”

“I’ll keep you safe if you will let me.”

“You don’t know me. I could be anyone.”

“I want to know you. Sara or Rose or Janna or Susan- The name doesn’t change who you are. You are still the same woman I’ve come to care for.”

“Steve…”

“If you’ll tell me nothing- can you at least tell me if you will be safe while I’m gone?” Steve’s heart was beating harder, faster. She could feel it. “I want to know you’re safe while I’m gone.”

“I’ll be as safe as I can be.” Rosemary promised all while knowing just sitting in his lap, held close to him with her tears drying on his neck that she was doing the exact opposite of that.

“I know somehow you are someone who has people after you. I know you fear for your safety. And I know you don’t want to tell me about it. Can you at least tell me if you have gotten mixed up with Hydra?”

“No.”

“No? No, you can’t tell me?”

“I’m not a part of Hydra.” It felt good to be able to answer one of his questions honestly.

“You’ll be safe?” Steve again asked. “Until now I’ve been just a couple hours away but while I’m gone if you need me I won’t be able to get to you quickly.”

“If I need you?” Rosemary finally leaned back off of his chest a bit, looking up at his face.

“If you are in danger, if you ever don’t feel safe no matter what the reason is, please tell me. I can have someone come get you. I can send someone to check on you while I’m gone. If I could come myself, I would.”

“You don’t have to protect me.” She insisted, looking into his impossibly blue eyes to try and spot a lie or some hint of ill intent.

“I like the accent.” Steve commented seemingly randomly, reaching up and rubbing his thumb along the damp trails on her cheeks from the tears. “Don’t hide from me?”

“Hide?”

“I understand that you don’t trust me enough to tell me what is wrong or who it is you fear but don’t hide your sadness from me. Don’t hide that you’re scared from me. Don’t hide the little parts of you that don’t matter from me, like softening your accent.”

“Don’t you think that’s a mistake to trust me- to spend time with me when I can’t even tell you everything?” Steve watched as she pulled her lip between her teeth before answering her.

“It could be.” He admitted. “But if I don’t give you… this thing between us… a chance I’ll never know.”

Steve’s voice was soft in her ears. Slowly he leaned forward and softly kissed her. When they parted, he tucked a few strands of wavy hair behind her ear and smiled down at her. The warmth of his smile gave her peace even when she knew she was risking everything.

“I mean it, if you’re in danger- ever- call me. If it’s an emergency just text ‘SOS’ and I’ll come or send someone.”

“Okay.” She finally agreed. What better protection could she have than the Avengers? At least, that’s what she told herself to justify not sending him away.

“I-” Steve started but stopped himself abruptly, snapping his mouth closed and shaking his head. “I will text you morning and night every day that I can.” He said instead. “I’ll keep in touch as best I can and I’ll let you know as soon as I have an idea when I’ll be home.”

“Be safe?” Rosemary asked, reaching up and resting her hand against his cheek. He leaned into the touch.

“I’ll be fine.” Steve promised. For a few moments they just sat in silence.

“Sorry for crying on you.” Rosemary couldn’t think of what else to say to fill the silence.

“I’ve had worse on me.” A deep laugh rumbled through him. “I think you needed to have a good cry. You carry things on your shoulders that I want to help with but I understand that right now I can’t. But if you ever want to share the load I will do whatever I can.”

“So much for the movie.” Rosemary looked back at the clock. She’d spent more than than she expected crying on him. “I bet this isn’t how you wanted to spend your last few hours before work.”

“Sa-” He caught himself. “Rose.” With a finger under her chin he made sure that she was paying him full attention. “I wanted to spend the last of my free time with you. I wanted to see you. I wanted to be able to look you in those beautiful eyes and promise you that I’d be back.”

“And now it’s almost time for you to go.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Steve shifted her off his lap and stood. Rosemary was quick to join him on her feet, expecting to walk him to the door. Instead he slipped the leather jacket off his shoulders and for a moment he just looked at it in his hands. Then he looked at her and held it out for her.

“What?”

“Put it on.” He made it seem as if it was obvious. She did what she was told however and allowed him to help her into the too large coat. It was warm still from him and smelled strongly of his cologne. He looked at her seriously for a moment before leaning down and kissing her sweetly.

“I’ve had this coat since the 40’s. It didn’t fit me when I got it, I was much smaller back then.”

“You grew into it.” She commented as she looked down at herself. The jacket was too big for her but it felt comforting to have it around her.

“You can say that.” He laughed. “It was on of the first things I got back from the museums. I’m going to leave it here with you. When I get back I’ll come get it.”

“That’s cheesy.” She whispered softly with tears in her eyes.

“Yeah, probably. But it’s true. I-” Again he stopped himself short of saying something and instead he simply kissed her again. “I should go but I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Rosemary nodded. It occurred to her she was playing a dangerous game. She wasn’t just indulging in being cared for romantically but she was falling fast for someone she had no business even being in the same room with. She cared for Steve- a lot. When it was time to walk away would she be able to?


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Somewhat graphic talk of what a poison will do to the body.

“Where’s your jacket?” Bucky asked as Steve entered the small jet.

“I’m not taking it.” Steve didn’t even look back to where Bucky was leaning against the wall near the door that was closing.

“You always take that damn jacket.” Natasha commented from the pilot's chair as she prepared them for take off.

“I do not.” Steve sat down on a bench with the mission file in hand. Their gear was packed away for easy and inconspicuous transport.

“Tell me you didn’t do something cheesy as leave it with her?” Bucky asked, eyeing his long time friend with a look of disappointment. For years he had tried to banish Steve’s tendency for cheesy romantic acts.

“You went to see her?” Nat turned as the engines came to life. “You only had six hours? Did you really spend four hours just driving to see her for two?”

“Yes I went to see her. What I do with my free time is none of your concern.” Steve flipped through the folder, finding the pages he wanted to highlight and revisit as they went over the mission on final time before the work began.

“And left your jacket with her?” This time Clint asked. “Man, you know real life isn’t a romcom, right?”

“What the hell is a ‘romcom’?” Bucky asked.

“She’s probably going to ruin it- the leather is ancient.” Clint kept talking rather than answering Bucky’s question.

“Or her cat’s going to pee on it.” Natasha offered as they took to the air.

“She doesn’t have a cat.” Steve absently answered, pulling his phone from his pocket to text the woman he now would be calling Rose. He wondered why she didn’t just go by Rose if she hated the name Sara so much.

Steve: Wheels up in five. I’ll let you know when we’ve settled.

“So her dog pees on it. Same difference.” Clint rolled his eyes.

“She doesn’t have a dog either. No pets.” Steve absently answered as he pulled another paper from the file. His phone vibrated and he checked it quickly.

“No pets?” Clint bulked as Steve read over a message from Rose and sent a reply. “You can’t trust someone without a pet.”

Rose: I’m assuming you can’t tell me where you’re going?

Steve: No, I’m sorry. I’ll check in with you tonight.

“I don’t have a pet.” Steve pointed out as his phone vibrated again in his hand. “Neither does Natasha or Bucky for that matter.”

Rose: I didn’t expect you to be able to tell me. Promise you will be safe?

Steve: Always.

“Are you texting her right now?” Sam asked laughing. In his opinion it was a damn fine thing to see Steve acting like a normal man.

“Yes.” Steve answered as he shoved the phone back in his pocket.

“You didn’t compromise the mission, did you Lover Boy?” Tony taunted, the smile on his face giving away the joke. They’d had their issues in the past but still they developed a respect over the last few years.

“I know what I’m doing.”

“Really? Because I heard the stories of your first date sandwiches. You’ve been out of the game for 70 years Cap.”

* * *

Rosemary slept a solid few hours after Steve’s final text message and a large lunch. Her eyes were still puffy from her earlier crying session. Though she’d never admit it to anyone if asked- not even Steve, she had fallen asleep wearing his jacket.

Out of the cabinet, she grabbed a cup of instant noodles and set a kettle on the stove to heat. It wasn’t the most healthy dinner nor would it be remotely filling. It would however do the job for now. Before bed she planned to eat a slice of bread and down a glass of milk. It still wasn’t the healthiest plan but it would keep her from waking in the middle of the night hungry.

As she sat down at her desk with her sad excuse of a dinner, she felt like she could sleep for another year. The emotional toll of the day was immense. She knew she was in trouble and that there wasn’t anything she could do to make any of what was to come any easier.

How long would she hold on and put off the pain? What if she fell in love with him? What if he fell in love with her? What if she just told him the truth, all of it? Would he hate her? Turn her in? Arrest her himself? Never want to see her again?

Powering up the computer she did some digging. She didn’t know what she was looking for, probably some sign that things could magically work out for her. In reality she was wanting to have her cake and eat it too, she knew that.

Still, the more she looked into the case of Bucky Barns she had a spark of hope. The man was a Hydra soldier who killed countless people and didn’t have full control of his mind or actions for a very long time. Yet when he regained his sanity in part with the aid of doctors in Wakanda and felt safe enough to become a part of the team he was forgiven and welcomed with time. The ringing of her phone broke her out of her thoughts. Steve’s name lit up the screen.

“Steve, hi.” For a moment she hated how eager she sounded to hear him. “You made it safe to where you’re going? That’s a stupid question, I guess since you’re calling.”

Steve’s laugh seemed to surround her. It was odd how badly she missed him. Still the sound brought a smile to her face. She wondered what he would think if she told him she hadn’t taken his jacket off yet. Was she being a silly love struck teenager?

“We made it just fine. Not even a hint of trouble. Just like I said, there is nothing to worry about.”

“Oh my god, did he call her?” A voice in the background yelled and Rosemary tried to place who it could have been from the few press conferences she had watched.

“Shut up Clint!” Someone else yelled and the commotion on Steve’s end of the call made her laugh even as Steve grumbled.

It felt good to talk to him, to hear his voice. They didn’t get to talk for long but Steve did ask about her. He wanted to make sure she was feeling better and that she had gotten some more rest.

“Is it too soon to miss you?” She softly asked as talking filled the background on Steve’s end of the call. It wasn’t something she had intended to ask let alone have him hear it.

“Probably.” He answered softly. “But still, I do miss you too.”

“This is crazy.”

“Yeah, probably.” Steve agreed. “Having doubts?”

“Yeah, probably. But I’m not ready to give it up.” She regretted saying it right away. It seemed whenever it came to Steve however the words seemed to come out without her ability to control them.

“Who says you ever will have to? We don’t know what will happen.” She could hear the noise in the background getting quieter and she assumed he was walking away from the group for some privacy.

“Steve…”

“I know you’re scared. I understand that you haven’t had a lot of experience. I haven’t either if I’m being honest. I’m a century old and can count the women I’ve kissed on my fingers.”

“Really?”

“It’s crazy how much I miss you.” Steve admitted. “I think it feels different because of how far apart we are right now. At least for me- I could have driven out to spend they day with you. Right now it’s not an option and…”

“It sucks.” She finished for him.

The week was slow in passing. She relished in the times that she got to hear from Steve though they were growing fewer and fewer. Mostly they texted, allowing her to drown herself in her work without worrying about muting the computer. She dearly loved the Rabbit, the name given to her in-house AI and the verbal commands it responded to.

It was early into the second week that Steve called her in the middle of the night, waking her from a deep sleep.

“Hello?” She mumbled after checking the number, accent thick.

“You where asleep?” Steve's voice was soft with concern. “I guess I forgot about the time difference, I'm sorry.”

“S'okay.” Rosemary sat up, rubbing sleep from her eyes and glancing at the bedside clock. The glowing red numbers informed her it was just after three in the morning. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah- yeah everything's great.” She could hear the lie in his voice but didn't push it. “I've got to go dark for a bit. Maybe until we pull out.”

“Whatever you have to do to be safe.” Rosemary urged.

“I know you're probably going to worry-”

“I wouldn't be human if I didn't.”

“Try not to worry too much. This is what I do.”

“I know. It won't be easy and I'm sure you won't always be able to touch base and warn me like this time.”

“You don't deserve this- if you decide it's too hard-” this time it was Rosemary's turn to cut him off.

“That's my choice to make. You just worry about staying safe.”

“I'm always safe.” Steve assured her even as in the background she could hear someone, Bucky she assumed yell accusations of bullshit.

“I've got to go. I… I'll talk to you when I'm on my way back.”

“Be safe. We'll talk again before you know it.” As the line disconnected she wondered what it was Steve seemed to come so close to saying.

* * *

Sleep didn’t come easy for her that night. Rosemary tossed and turned until well after midnight before she finally gave up. A warm cup of tea didn’t settle her nerves at all. With nothing else to do she took her mug and sat down in front of her laptop. Internally she was at war. Getting involved with Avenger business was a bad idea. Sticking her finger in their mess was a bad idea.

“Wake up Rabbit, time to go hunting.” She spoke into the empty room.

“Voice recognition complete. Welcome Lady Ramsey. What are we hunting for in the middle of the night?”

“What can you find out about the mission Steve Rogers is currently deployed on?”

“Looking into Mr. Captain America? I bet he smells like apple pie.” The AI answered as the small black rabbit that always lived in the lower right hand corner of her screen jumped around, twitching it’s ears.

“He does not.” She answered absently.

“And how would you know, Lady Ramsey?”

“None of your business. Get digging.”

“Bing, bing, bing.” The voice sang the word as the black rabbit danced around on the screen after a short hunt.

“What have you got?”

“Steve’s currently with the Avenger team in Venezuela.”

“Doing?”

“Searching.”

“Search faster.”

“I’m only as fast as you made me, Lady Ramsey.”

“Don’t make me delete you.”

“The team is currently hunting down a terrorist cell attempting to or actively producing bioweapons.”

“How close are they to production and how close does the US government _think_ they are?” She twisted the chair this way and that as she thought.

“The information that is provided to the Shield team according to what I was able to access without tipping security reflect that they are intending to stop production before they get too far along. Reality from our sources reflect that production has begun and they have stockpiles ready for use.”

“Spectacular, find where they are located. I don’t care how much it costs, I need them moved. I’ll figure out what to do with them later.” Great, now she was meddling in Avenger business. This was clearly begging for trouble.

“I’ll see to it that it is done.” Black Rabbit assured her. “While searching I came across some information regarding your boyfriend’s safe house location you may wish to buy.”

“Someone’s leaking it?”

“It appears someone within the higher ranks of the operation is unhappy with their position. Perhaps they feel under appreciated. Perhaps their boss is having an affair with their wife.”

“Perhaps you tell me what they are trying to sell and who the proposed buyer is? How soon until the deal goes down?”

“He is selling the exact location of the team’s safe house for 1.2 million USD. Currently the team’s target organization is attempting to purchase for 1 million USD with the assurances that they will use their bioweapons on the team. Seller is hesitant. Appears they have some morals, how cute. They must be new to the underground.”

“Block the deal. Offer 1.5 million and make it very clear how resale of information will impact his life expectancy detrimentally. Contact Marques and give him whatever it take to move the weapons.”

“It will be done, Lady Ramsey.”

“Damn right it will.” She mumbled to herself as she sipped her tea as she thought of what could have happened.

She could see the files, she knew exactly who was on the mission with Steve and what the bioweapons could do. They would have to be destroyed. Weapons like that had no business existing in this world. That would be an issue she would address later with her brother. Such weapons could destabilize the market underground and where far too powerful to exist with or without proper regulation.

Her mind played it out like a movie for her when she closed her eyes. The team moving into a base. It seemed to always be a large room, these bases. Perhaps it was a warehouse or a plane hanger. They would move in and likely be ambushed.

It was clear that the team was expected. This mission was rigged, intended to kill them all. The bioweapon would kill those who deployed it quickly though painfully just the same. It was well known that the super soldiers were stronger, more resilient than normal men but something like this? If she had to pick something to kill them it would be it.

The gas would infiltrate their lungs and eyes, breaking down the tissues into a liquid much like the venom of a spider broke down the tissues of their prey. They would be blinded. The soup would carry to poison deeper into the body as they violently cough to expel it. In the case of the super soldiers their lungs could repair themselves quickly but the damage would add up. The poison was self replicating once introduced into the body.

The goop would be thick with the poison, slipping down their throats as they coughed, spreading through the body and replicating while doing damage everywhere it went. Steve and Bucky could possibly live for a while as the weapon ravaged through their bodies but she very much doubted that they would survive exposure.

Luckily she had removed the gas out of the hands of Steve’s enemy. Still, there was a possibility that a smaller stock was held in another location. They would have to be warned that their location was compromised and to adjust accordingly.

With her contacts getting the message out would be easy enough. Still, the more she meddled the more she risked drawing attention to herself. She would have them warned and then she would step back. What she had already done was more than enough. Now all she would be able to do was trust in Steve to return safely while she set about figuring out what to do about the bioweapon situation.

This weapon was known to her as Missure gas. Until now she had not been aware of anyone successfully producing it. Yet somehow there were barrels of it. It would be destroyed, that was a given. The scientists who produced it would need to be killed and their resource destroyed. This was a weapon she couldn’t fathom allowing into the hands of any government entity for she trusted none of them. That was the next problem for her to tackle today.

* * *

A knock on the door of the safe house startled the team into silence. They’d been careful. Hell, the lights were kept dim and they whispered. They avoided windows. No one should have noticed they were there, in the small house in the middle of nowhere. Yet the knocking came again.

Sam answered it as the rest of the team took places out of sight. A small villager stood on the porch in the dim moonlight. The man held out an envelope.

“For you.” He spoke in heavily accented English.

“How did you find this place?” Sam asked carefully.

“I was sent.” The man answered. “I do not tell more. Just to come and give you message.”

“Sent by who?”

“The Lady Spider who tends her web.” The man nodded as if what he said made all the sense in the world. “She sends message for you. I know not what. Now I go and we forget we ever saw each other. That is deal.”

Without waiting for approval, the man turned and ran down the path. His feet splashed through the puddles remaining from the day’s rain. He didn’t look back. For him, life would move on or so he hoped.

“Who’s the Lady Spider?” Steve asked.

“Jarvis is running it now. May as well open the envelope and see what was sent.” Tony set his phone down on the small table as his AI continued to work.

“She sent us a love note, whoever she is.” Sam flipped through the few papers in the envelope.

“What does it say?” Steve asked as Jarvis continued to search for information on the Lady Spider.

“Good Evening Gentlemen. You do not know me, nor do you likely know of me. That is by design for I work and live in the shadows. Worry not, I mean you no harm. At least for now.” All eyes were on Sam as he read.

“God she writes fancy.” He complained before returning to reading.

“As you can see, I was able to find your location. It was leaked to the highest bidder. Be assured, I will not share it with your enemies nor will the one I purchased the information from sell it again- resale of information never works out well for those who come into my web. Your enemies have Missure gas- I fear it could be deadly to even the great Captain America. I’ve seen to the removal of the biological weapon from the your target compound but be aware they may have smaller stashes. You’re team is expected to raid on Friday. I advise changing your plan. Do try to survive, Lady Ramesy.”

Sam tossed the paper onto the table. Behind it was another paper with their current location and the name of a low level agent who they assumed sold her the information.

“She even drew a little spider next to her name?” Clint commented as he leaned over the table.

“Sir.” Jarvis got their attention. “I’ve been unable to find any solid information on a ‘Lady Spider’. She appears to be someone few speak of. There is some talk of the Lady Spider being one that is dangerous to cross.”

“I’ve heard of her.” Bucky admitted. “Hydra sometimes did business with her. In general no one kept a written record of dealing with her.”

“Have you met her?” Steve asked. “What do you know of her?”

“She’s an information dealer and player in the weapons market. Never met her, at least that I can remember. I don’t think she works her deals in person, too dangerous.”

“What’s an information dealer?” Tony asked. Clint answered.

“Think free range spy. They collect information and sell it to the highest bidder. I’ve heard of a Lady Spider who tends a massive web of informants but I had always assumed her a myth.”

Natasha nodded in agreement. “I’ve never had any contact with her either though I’ve bought information from her once or twice. I assumed her to be an organization and not a single person based off the sheer amount of information she can obtain.”

“So the question is, can we trust her?” Steve asked the question on all their minds.


	9. Chapter 9

Steve lead the team into the warehouse. Their steps were swift and calculated to minimize sound. It was dark and they moved as close to silently as the five of them could, keeping their breathing in check. In their ears Tony fed them information from his vantage point in the sky. The Iron Man suit was powerful but a last defense. The ability to have eyes in the sky in multiple places. The team moved swiftly, taking out enemy agents as quickly and silently as possible along the way.

Still, the alarm called out as the moved deeper. It was only a matter of time.

They searched for scientists who would likely be held under heavy guard. They would be the ones that needed to be captured or neutralized as a last resort. The world as a whole could not afford to have biological weapons being produced. It seemed that no matter how many battles they fought the fighting never ended.

Gunfire erupted around them. The team returned fire and the battle was on. Each had been aware of how different the battle could be going if they had not taken the advise of the Lady Ramsey. They were able to locate a few small canisters of the biological weapon and secure them before they could be used against the team. None was sure what would become of the secured weapon but for the moment at least they were content enough in the knowledge that it wouldn’t be used against them.

* * *

Rosemary hadn’t slept much for the last few days. She existed off of coffee and little else while she buried herself in work. A knock at her door drew her out of her thoughts. Shutting down the computer, she slipped out the drive containing the Black Rabbit program just as the front door opened.

“Sara, dear?” Mrs. Jones’ voice called out through the small apartment.

“Coming, Mrs. Jones.” Rosemary answered with a roll of her eyes. It was a matter of time before the old woman found her way up the stairs again.

“What did you do with that fine young man- I haven’t seen hide or hair of Steve since his last visit. You best not have scared him off, Sara Wilson. I liked looking at that side of beef whenever he came in.” Rosemary rolled her eyes as she joined the old woman in the living room.

“He’s away working for a few weeks. I didn’t scare him away.”

“Avengers mission I take it?” Mrs. Jones asked with a knowing smile.

“You knew who he was?”

“Fine men like that are hard to come by and harder yet to mistake.” Mrs. Jones rested a hand on Rosemary’s arm and gave her a look of understanding. “You didn’t know and that was good. He needed that and you needed him. You’re alone too much Dear. He likes you.”

“I like him.” Rosemary admitted. “A lot.”

“Good, that’s how things start. Have you heard from him or is this mission super secret?” Mrs. Jones settled herself into a chair at the table.

“We were able to talk for the first week. Then he had to ‘go dark’ and I haven’t heard anything in almost two weeks. He said he would let me know when he’s on his way back or get in touch as soon as he was safe.”

Rosemary was worried about him. The mission had appeared to go off with minimal issues since she had fed the team information but still it was nearing a week since they stormed their target and she hadn’t heard word from Steve.

Could she have missed something? Could something have happened? Since she tipped them off to a leak from within their ranks they were monitoring their security more making it nearly impossible for her to fish for more information. The silence was driving her crazy. Was it normal to worry about someone else this much?

“It’s scary- his job. So many unknowns.” Mrs. Jones softly spoke as she took Rosemary’s hand in her own.

“Yeah.” Rosemary agreed, sitting across from the old woman who had her hand trapped in her own.

“You know what else is scary? Maybe even scarier?” Mrs. Jones asked but didn’t wait for her to answer. “Falling in love.”

“It’s too soon for that.” Rosemary protested.

“Sometimes love comes hot and fast. It’s not always like they say- slow to build. Sometimes love comes too soon and fizzles out. Sometimes it doesn’t.” Mrs. Jones spoke as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

“Have you ever been in love?” Rosemary asked and felt dumb, the woman was old enough to be her grandmother.

“A few times.” She nodded with a smile. “Sometimes it came slowly with time. But the time I always will cherish was the love that burned like fire right away. I thought I couldn’t have him and sent him away after a while. I didn’t trust my heart.”

“Why?”

“I was about your age and I thought it wasn’t safe. It wasn’t wise. My family wouldn’t have approved of him. I thought I’d forget him. I never did and to this day that love still burns right here.” She tapped her chest with a shaking fist. Her voice was thick with emotion.

“There is no way we can make it work?”

“Why?” Mrs. Jones asked sharply. “Because you’re not who you seem? None of us are, Sara Wilson. Do you love him?”

“What do you- How do you-?” Her questions came quickly and half formed. The very idea that someone in this little town could possibly know her identity was terrifying. She would have to leave. That wasn’t something she was ready to do, that she wanted to do yet. Perhaps it was better not to know what the old woman knew.

“Do you love him?” Mrs. Jones pressed again before sighing. “I don’t care who you are. You’re always going to be you to me. Sara, Mary, Joan- the name means nothing. The woman you are matters and don’t pretend like you live a lie every moment I’ve spent with you. Now, do you love him?”

“I think I do?” Rosemary looked down at where her hand was held in the wrinkled old hand of her only friend and landlord. Tears welled in her eyes and she tried her best to will them away.

“You think or do you know?” Mrs. Jones pushed.

“I do.” A tear slipped down her cheek at the admission. “I do. I didn’t mean to. I wasn’t intending to. I didn’t set out to. I told myself I wouldn’t. I can’t- if he finds out-” Her words where rushed and choked, ending in sobs. Mrs. Jones rubbed her thumb comfortingly over the back of Rosemary’s hand.

“I was like you. I lived in the darkness little Spider. It’s good to see that the occupation continues on. But I let the man I love go because I was scared to let him see the darkness. That man- Steve Rogers, if you let him I’d wager that he can free you from the darkness. You don’t have to keep living like this. You can change your life.”

“What if?” She couldn’t finish the question. Tears dripped off her chin.

“What if?” Mrs. Jones parroted the question. “That is always the question. What if he doesn’t love you? What if he thinks your darkness is too much? What if you fall out of love? What if he hurts you? Isn’t it better to have the answers to those questions?”

With one last squeeze of her hand Mrs. Jones stood with a groan. “Those stairs ain’t getting any easier. Sara, your secrets are safe with me. The ones I know and any you decide to tell me.”

* * *

Rosemary was on the edge of sleep when her phone went off. She was groggy and tired. Not once had she slept well since Steve went dark. Blindly, she groped for the phone. She didn’t look to see who the caller was and schooled her accent as best she could. Sleep would excuse it being heavier or lighter than expected.

“’Ello?” She mumbled into the phone she had balanced on the side of her head. Holding it would take far too much effort right now.

“Rose, did I wake you again?” Steve’s warm voice came through the line and she was instantly more awake.

“Steve?” She sat up straight, phone falling into her lap only to be quickly snatched back up and held to her ear. Her hands were shaking, though she couldn’t pinpoint why. Relief flooded through her.

“You okay?” A warm chuckle came over the line and she smiled. It relaxed her instantly.

“I’m fine, Steve. Glad to hear your voice. Got a bit excited and dropped the phone is all. How are you? Are you okay?” She chewed her lip as she listened to the sounds on the other line.

“I’m good. We’re good. It was an easy mission for as long as it was.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” She doubted that he would tell her if that wasn’t the case but at least he sounded well.

“Hey...” Steve trailed off as if he was doubting what he was going to say.

“Hey?” She copied him.

“We land in about two hours. I’ll be doing debriefs and reports for a few hours but I should be done by four or five.”

“You should make sure you get some rest.”

“I’d rather rest with you.”

“It’s a two hour drive.” She insisted.

“I’ll be there around seven or eight, if you’ll have me? Gives me time for a shower and a bite before I head out.”

“Steve.”

“Rose. I want to see you. I need to see you. The mission went good, easy but it could have not. We got lucky and I Just- I need you. Can I come?”

“Okay.” She gave in. Hearing him say that he needed her was too much. There was a hint of weakness in his voice. He knew how close they had come to the mission going fatally wrong even if he couldn’t tell her.

“Get some rest. I’ll call when I’m close.”

“If I don’t answer have Mrs. Jones let you in.” She knew that was a terrible mistake but she spoke the words before she thought.

“I’ll see you before you know it. Goodnight, my Rose.”

* * *

Steve called twice as he sat astride his motorcycle. It was early, nearing six in the morning and he wasn’t at all surprised that she didn’t answer. He was a bit earlier than he expected to be.

The team had commented on his improved mood and cracked their jokes. For all the shit they gave him however he could see the benefit they got from his more balanced work schedule.

With something new to focus on, Steve wasn't pushing them to find the next missing as soon as their boots landed back home again. He didn't drag out debriefing or reports anymore. For a change, Steve had somewhere else he would rather be and he couldn't wait to be there.

As the voicemail clicked on a third time Steve disconnected the call. He would be there in less than thirty minutes. Turning his face skyward, Steve enjoyed what he could see of the morning sunrise.

It felt good to enjoy things again. It felt good to have someone waiting for him. Still, in the back of his mind he felt guilty. No matter her secrets, she still didn't deserve having to worry about him, to worry and fear for his safety. The idea that she would decide he wasn't worth the worry and turn away from him nagged at his mind. He could mostly ignore it except in the deep darkness of the night.

Steve attempted to make his way through the cafe and to the stairs without being stopped by Mrs. Jones. It didn't workout for him however and she called him over just before the sole of his shoe touched the first step.

“Mrs. Jones, how is that hip treating you?” Steve smiled warmly at the old woman who had grown on him. He had missed her while he was away.

“I was worried Little Sara scared you away!”

“I don't think she could ever. I was away for work for a few weeks.”

“Avenging keeps you busy.” The old woman nodded to herself but laughed at the look of surprise that crossed Steve's face. It was a pleasant but raspy sound. “What? I'm old, not dead. Unlike Sara I don't Live under a rock.”

“Mrs. Jones…” Steve sighed.

He knew caring for anyone was a risk. Clint went through great lengths to keep his family safe and the reality of the situation was that they could still be targeted. What he had with Rose was so new and fresh that if he made an effort to hide her it could be perceived as being ashamed of her. If by some miracle it wasn't taken that way, she could take it as rushing things. She could decide he was too dangerous to be with.

He could lose the woman he loved before he had a chance to earn her love any number of ways. The thought hit him like a bucket of ice water. She had secrets he didn't know, fears he didn't know and he couldn't protect her from the world. Even without him, her life was somehow complicated.

But he loved her just the same. He had come so close to saying the words before. They came naturally to the tip of his tongue and before he didn't understand why even as he bit them off.

“You love her.” Mrs. Jones observed.

“It's too soon.” the argument was weak in his own ears. “It's dangerous, she could be targeted to get to me.”

“She has her own enemies, her own secrets. We all do. She's scared because she thinks she can't have you.”

“Why?” Steve didn't want to press but couldn't help it. “What does she have to fear? To hide?”

“Her story is hers to tell. Just trust that she's a good person, no matter what. Love conquers all. Now take her some coffee, key’s under the mat if she’s still sleeping” Mrs. Jones set the travel mug in front of Steve and turned, leaving him with his thoughts.

He took a few moments before making his way up the stairs. As soon as it was, he loved Rose. He could only hope that she felt similarly. What could have happened in her life to make it so she didn't trust Captain America? If she was in some sort of trouble, could he pull her out? If she was on the dark side of the law, could he ignore it to be with her? Surely she wasn't but what if she was?

With his mind and heart conflicted, Steve knocked on the door. He gave her a few moments to answer before trying again. Logically he knew she could be sleeping. It was still very early and she had sounded so tired. Still, worry sank into him like hot lead.

When the door swung open, he found the living room dark and empty. Nothing looked out of place as he silently checked the space. There was absolutely no reason for him to be on guard, yet realizing how much he cared about her brought the need to protect her to the surface.

The door to her bedroom was partially opened and light slipped into the dim room when he opened the curtains to the large glass balcony doors in the living room. For a moment he just stood in the doorway, coffee in hand and took in the sight of her. It was something that made his heart ache with longing. What would it be like to sleep next to her at night? To wake and bring her coffee in the mornings? Was all she could give him worth risking his heart?

In truth he knew she already had his heart. He couldn't take it back no matter what happened unless she returned it to him broken. After setting the coffee on the unstable closest to her, he turned and opened the bedroom curtains to let in more of the soft morning light.

God, was she the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Red hair, waves and curls tangled together spread out around her. The morning sun caressed her pale skin. Her lips were parted and such a light pink. Without lipstick or stain to color them, he could see the redness from where she had chewed her lip raw. Steve wondered if she chewed on her lip when she worried. Was that spot raw because she was worried for him?

She shifted on the bed and a soft sound slipped between her lips. Steve took a moment to look around the room. It was simply soft. The hard wood floor was covered by a plush green rug and the bedding was a light blue that complemented the dark wood of her bed frame.

A desk sat against the far wall with a simple black laptop sitting closed. Steve ran his fingers over the surface, smooth and polish worn away with age as he went to walk by it but stopped when a small drive was nudged to the floor.

He knelt to pick it up and he couldn’t help but notice he had seen drives like it before. They were not the kind he saw in the electronic stores. He wouldn’t have seen seen them in Tony’s lab. It wasn’t the kind he had seen the young Peter Parker using.

Drives like this were distinctive and often used by those would lived and worked in the underground. They were hyper secure and expensive. Tony often had a hard time cracking them when they fell into the team’s hands. They didn’t always contain dangerous information but more often than not they did. Steve wondered why Rose would have such a drive as that?

It was better not to ask. He said he wouldn’t ask. He said he wouldn’t push. He said he wouldn’t pry. He said he would wait until she was ready. Still warnings screamed inside of him. With how little he knew, how could he justify trusting her?

Whatever she was involved in, he wished she would tell him. Whatever it was she was tangled up in, he wished she would trust him. Whatever it was she was trapped in, he wished she would let him save her. For a moment he wondered if she wanted saving or if it was simply his selfish desire.

The drive clicked softly against the desk as he set it down. He looked at it for a moment as if it was a snake before turning and doing everything he could to pretend he hadn’t seen it. In the end, the drive didn’t matter. In time she would trust in him, he hoped. She would tell him herself.

With footsteps muffled by the rug, he hardly made any noise as he moved around the room. The scent of her was all around him and relaxed him. The bed was soft as he sat down on it next to her sleeping form. She turned into him as his weight settled on the mattress. A stray curl swept across her face as she settled on her side with her knees drawn up partially. She was almost curled around him as he twisted to look down at her.

Reaching out, Steve brushed the stray curl from her face. Green eyes opened into slits only to blink a few times. A small smile curved her delicate lips.

“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Steve whispered as he leaned down closer to her.

“It’s a good way to wake up.” Her accent was thick with her sleep and the sound of it drew a smile to Steve’s face. It was good to be back.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heavy making out and insinuated sexual content.

   Chapter 10

  


“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Steve whispered as he leaned closer to her. The smell of him seemed to waft around her as he moved slowly. She wondered if he was going to kiss her and it occurred to her that she wanted him to, badly. It was something she wanted more than anything in that moment.

“It’s a good way to wake up.” It felt good not to hide her accent from him. It felt good to see him first thing in the morning. It felt good to be as close to herself as she had ever been with anyone else. How much of herself could she risk exposingto him? What if she just told him everything?

It felt good to just be with Steve. She watched as a smile slowly spread over his face and part of her wished she could read his mind. Did it feel to him to be with her, to see her again?

God how he made her heart beat out of her chest. Being around him made her feel a warmth she had never known before. Was he really something she could have? Could this really be something that was honest and could last?

His lips were soft on hers. The kiss was sweet and chaste. It was also over before she knew it. He pulled back as she signed, already missing the warmth of his lips on hers.

“I brought you coffee.” Steve directed her attention to the coffee he was now holding out for her. “Or rather, Mrs. Jones spotted me trying to sneak by and insisted I bring you coffee on my way up. That woman has eyes better than Clint, I swear.”

The early morning sun seemed to light up the gold in Steve's hair. It looked so soft and she wondered what he would do if she just reached out and ran her fingers through the stands. What would he do if she kissed him rather than waiting for him to initiate it?

“She is amazingly impressive for a woman well into her 90’s.” Rosemary agreed, sitting up.

The strap of her tank top fell from her shoulder as she shifted in the bed and Steve’s eyes were drawn to it instantly. With her sitting up, the blanket was pooled in her lap and he tried desperately not to look at her chest. Yet he couldn’t help noticing where the small buds of her nipples pushed lightly against the dark green of her top. Clearly, she wasn’t wearing a bra and why would she, he had woken her from her sleep in the early morning.

Swallowing thickly, he watched as she absentmindedly pushed the strap back up her shoulder with a soft touch of her fingers. He wondered what it would feel like to be touched by her so softly, what it would feel like to touch her that softly.

Perhaps coming here wasn’t the best idea. Perhaps he shouldn’t have gone into her room to wake her. His momma would have had some words for him if she saw him now, sitting on a woman’s bed who he’d only taken out a few times. She’d be turning in her grave, he hadn’t even promised to take this woman’s hand and here he was in her bedroom.

Steve reminded himself that he was invited in. It was a different time now. He was following her lead, letting her set the pace. Really, they were going slower than a lot of his friends moved with new relationships. She was leading him. He would never do anything she didn’t want. But good god were there things he was wanting to do right then.

Rosemary accepted the coffee, seemingly ignorant of the war ragging in Steve’s mind. Part of her wondered if her hair was a mess but in truth, she knew it was. It was always a mess when she woke unless she tied it in a braid. The mix of waves and curls simply had a mind of their own. The paper cup was warm in her hands and the first sip brought a bit more clarity to her mind.

“It’s good to see you back.” She murmured over the cup, not braving taking it from her lips just yet. “I mean, I knew you were back and safe since you called and everything but… It’s better to see it with my own eyes.”

“I’m sorry that you had to worry about me. You shouldn’t-”

“But I would.” Rosemary didn’t want to hear it. “Worrying about someone is a part of… a part of caring for them, isn’t it? Regardless of what they do?”

“It’s not the same as if I worked security or in a kitchen or-”

“Do the spouses of police officers worry for their partners? Soldiers- their partners worry. Same for those who fight fires and even those who drive taxi cabs worry of a car accident or a robbery. The spouse of a chief worries over scolds, cuts and burns. People worry over those they care for. It’s a part of life. It’s a part of love.”

Rosemary was shocked by her own words and quickly busied herself drinking her coffee. Making a point to look everywhere but at Steve, she prayed he wouldn’t realize what she sort of said. The words came out naturally. He didn’t have to take it to mean that she loved him, was in love with him.

But he could. And he would be right. As much as it terrified her, he would be right. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that. If only she knew that she loved him, perhaps she could pretend that everything would be okay when in the end it all fell apart.

“You’re right.” He admitted, resting a large hand on her knee. Even through the blankets she could feel the warmth of it. The weight was comforting. His touch was comforting “It is a part of love, to worry over each other. I worried about you while I was gone. It doesn’t help the guilt though.”

She couldn’t avoid his eyes any longer when he looked up at her. Reaching out, her curled his fingers under her chin. His thumb came to rest on the redness she knew was there on her lower lip. It was a bad habit, one her brother had constantly got on her for when they were young yet she couldn’t seem to help chewing on her lips.

“Was this because of me?” She couldn’t look away yet she couldn’t find her voice. Reflexively she pulled the lip between her teeth. His thumb almost followed.

“I always bite my lips when I worry.” She admitted.

“You worried about me?” Steve pressed, clearly determined to blame himself for the mark she normally had but kept covered with lipstick.

“I worry about a lot of things, Steve. My brother-” She snapped her jaws shut as soon as the word passed her lips and wondered if he heard the click of her teeth. It was too late to take the admission back.

“You said you were an only child?” Steve softly questioned and she sighed. There was no hint of anger or betrayal in finding something she hadn’t spoke the truth about. If finding a lie bothered him, it didn’t show. All she saw was acceptance of new information. It was as if he expected that she would have half truths and white lies. In truth, she guessed that would make sense as she told him she had secrets to keep. Yet him not knowing until now about her brother was reassuring, he wasn't digging into her life. He wasn't looking into her. He was just accepting her.

“I have a brother but I’ve not seen him in many years.” She admitted, skirting the truth. “He used to always badger me to stop chewing at my lips.”

“Do you talk to him often now?” It made Steve feel good that she would trust him, relax enough with him to allow a wall down. She had a brother. His little Rose wasn’t so alone in the world and that was a relief to him.

“I can’t talk about it, about him.” She closed her eyes as tears welled up in them. It was dumb to cry over this and she willed them not to fall even as one slipped down her cheek.

“I know you have secrets. I know you have fears that you won’t tell me-”

“I can’t.” She whimpered.

“In time you can. Rose, look at me?” Her watery green eyes opened and Steve’s breath caught for a moment. “I’m here. I’ll always come back until you decide you don’t want me anymore. No matter what you’re involved in- I will protect you if you need me, no questions asked. I can’t keep you from being arrested if what you are doing is illegal but if someone ever comes after you with the intention of harming you, I will stand in their way.”

“Steve.” Whimpering, she almost couldn’t say his name. He was willing to do so much for her, so much more than he had to. There was no reason for him to offer her protection from the demons he didn’t even know of. There was no reason for him to stand by her side but here he was offering to do just that if she would let him.

“Today you let more walls come down. I learned more about you. That’s enough for me, for now. I love you, Rose. The rest will come in time if it’s meant to be. We just have to give it a chance. Don’t cry over what you won’t tell me right now.”

Rosemary nodded and sniffled. It was an ugly sound in her own ears but Steve looked at her with all the warmth of the sun. Thinking back to what Mrs. Jones had said, she tried to weigh her options but she couldn’t think beyond Steve’s voice echoing in her head, telling her that he loved her.

“I love you too, Steve.” She admitted softly as she closed her eyes. It was easier to talk if she didn’t have to look at him. She could feel the bed shift with every move Steve made. “I don’t know how to love you, how to balance who I am with who you are. I don’t know if we can ever be together, really. But I love you. I’ve never known love before and it scares the bloody hell out of me.”

“I’m scared too,” It surprised her to hear Steve admit that. “and I know you don’t have a lot of experience with this, with love- maybe none-”

“Definitely none. I’ve had a few dates but nothing…” Nothing that mattered was what she wanted to say.

“We can figure it out together. I want to figure it out with you.”

Rosemary felt him wipe away the tear from her cheek. She couldn’t help but lean into his touch. Reaching up, she wrapped her hand around his wrist. She wasn’t ready to give up the warmth of his hand. With her eyes still closed, she made the choice she knew in her gut was the wrong choice. Julian would be angry. Mrs. Jones- whoever she really was- would be proud. In the end she could still end up with a broken heart. In the end she prayed that the risk would be worth it.

“Okay. I can’t- I’m not ready to tell you everything. In time maybe? But I’ll try. I want to try.”

“That’s all I ask, Rose.”

Again the bed shifted as he leaned forward. The kiss was again soft and sweet. Yet as he pulled away, she wanted more. Leaning into him, she followed him as he pulled back bit. Her hand slipped around and up his arm only to wrap around his neck as she pulled him back to her. Resting her other hand on his firm chest, she kissed him hard. His hands went to rest on her waist, seemingly carefully to avoid touching the little strip of exposed skin where the hem of her shirt rode up as he returned the kiss before pulling her away for just a moment.

“Rose? I should...” His eyes raked over her, taking in her flushed cheeks and darkened lips and the way her tank top clung to her curves. “I should go into the living room so you can get up...” But dear god did he not want to do that. He would give anything to not have to take his eyes off the sight in front of him ever again.

“Stay.” It was a whisper that fell from her lips that pulled a shudder down his spine. “Please?”

“I don’t want to take advantage-”

“You’re not.” Shifting, Rosemary got up on her knees, hand still braced against his chest. It put her level with Steve and the blankets pooled around her, exposing more of her long legs.

His eyes went down her frame, taking in where the hem of her top gathered around the smallest part of her waist before moving down. She wore short shorts that really didn’t cover more than some of of the more modest pairs of panties but were comfortable for sleeping in. His eyes took in the length of her exposed legs.

“I don’t want you to think you have to- that we have just because I’m here.” It occurred to her that perhaps Steve was assuming that she was a virgin. It was a reasonable assumption enough, she did say she hadn’t had experience with dating.

“I’m not. I want this. I want to kiss you, to be kissed by you and whatever we do or don’t do- I’m not worried. I just want to be with you, to be normal and whatever happens happens.”

When she kissed him again, he responded differently. There was a taste of fire within him that she had gotten a spark of when their kisses got heated before. This was much more than just a spark. A large hand slipped around her waist and pulled her toward him. She came willingly enough and settled in his lap.

As they kissed she ran her hands along his shoulders and down his chest only to wrap them around his neck again. She craved the feeling of his strong muscles working and moving under her touch as much as she craved the feeling of his lips on hers.

While she was no virgin, she’d never been kissed like this. Never had anyone touched her like this and lit a fire within her. She had never experienced such a deep longing for another person. It felt like the fire within her would consume her whole if she didn’t find a way to quench it and in all honesty, she wasn’t sure if she would have any complaints about that.

His hand was rough as it slipped under the hem of her shirt and she sighed into the kiss. His lips left hers but she didn’t complain when he kissed his way along her jaw. His breath was hot in her ear with every breath he took. The way his hands gripped and rubbed at the skin of her sides and up her back was making it hard to think, to breath. Slowly, his lips made their way down her neck as one of her own hands slipped down his chest to feel the firm planes of his abs.

“If you ever want me to stop, tell me.” Steve murmured into her shoulder. “No matter how far we get, what we are doing- if you change your mind or want me to stop, if you don’t like it just say the word and I’ll stop.”

She could hardly think straight. All she wanted was more. It was clear to her that he wanted more just as badly as she did. From where she sat in his lap, she could feel the stiffness in his pants. She leaned against him and dropped her head to nibbled at his neck. A deep breath left him in a rush before he gathered himself again.

“I need to know that you’ll tell me if you want me to slow down or stop.”

She looked up at him and the concern in his eyes made her realize he was serious. Even now, clearly aroused and wanting her he still worried about overstepping. Even with how she clearly showed that she wanted him now, he worried about hurting her.

“I will.”

That was all Steve needed to hear. His lips were back on hers and the heat, the hint of fire within him was now a raging inferno. With every breath he took, he gave into her. It had been his intention to take his time with her, to not rush to the physical aspects of a relationship. Yet, knowing how wrong things could have gone on that mission, how close he had come to at the very least being painfully and seriously injured or worse…

He didn’t have time to spare. He was a century old. Already he had lived so much longer than he expected to as a child, than he had any right to. There was a time when he put his life on the line, crashed a pane fully expecting to die in the process because he thought it was what he had to do. In truth, if the same situation would happen again, if he was ever faced with the same choice he would do it again. That was who he was.

The life he lived was a dangerous one. How much longer did he have? What if he took things too slow and never got the chance again. Once before he took things slow and when he woke up 70 years later his chance had come and gone without him. He had his chance now and so long as she was willing, as long as she wanted it he would take it.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Morning. There be smut here. Just... perhaps read before your morning shower so you can cool off?

Pushing slightly, he guided her down onto her back while his hand inched up her sides. Under his fingertips he could feel the ridges of every rib, just a hint under her soft skin. Rosemary’s fingertips carded through the short hair at the base of his skull and he shuddered under her touch.

Again, her fingers slipped under the hem of his tee shirt and she greedily took in the feeling of him. Every muscle moved with such simple strength as he held himself over her. As he again kissed his way down her neck, she allowed her hand to trail higher up his torso. It amazed her how hard and strong his body was, how each muscle moved as he shifted lower to kiss her collarbone and across her chest, just below her neck.

While he made his way back up the other side of her neck she slipped her hands up higher, resting under his shirt against his chest. Again he kissed her and she ran her hands along the broad expanse of his chest, feeling twitch of his muscles. He was so strong. Leaning back to break the kiss for a moment he reached a hand behind him to grab a fistful of his shirt and pulled it up and over his head.

The sight of him was magnificent. Rosemary had see men with fine bodies without their shirts before. She may be inexperienced but she had a TV, computer and internet connection. Plus they often graced the covers of the romance novels she would indulge in. But to have a man like Steve Rogers kneeling over her, on her bed now without a shirt was a whole different thing.

“Are you sure?” Steve asked again and Rosemary nodded.

“If you are.” She countered and it was very clear how sure Steve’s body was at least.

Steve answered with a relaxed kiss. He wanted her more than he could ever begin to explain. He lowered himself onto his forearms as he kissed her. Between kisses, he would pull her lip between his own. When she mimicked the action on him, softly nibbling on his lower lip he took the opportunity to slip his tongue out to tease her lips as she released his lower lip.

She eagerly welcomed his tongue with her own as Steve deepened the kiss. With soft touches, she let her hands slide up and around his back. She clung to him, sighed into him. He could devour her and she would offer herself to him willingly.

One of his hands slipped out from under her shirt to cup her cheek. Everything about him was so much larger than she was. Everything about him was overwhelming her. Still she wanted more, craved more and needed more. His hand moved down her check, cupping the side of her neck as he ran his thumb along her jaw. Under her top, his other hand moved higher along her side only to retreat and glide down her side. Her hips were turned and he gripped the side facing up. When his thumb dug lightly into the space just inside her hipbone she couldn’t contain the giggles that slipped out of her.

“You’re ticklish?” Steve accused with a boyish smile on his face.

“No.”

Rosemary tried to scoot away from him but with her calves and feet still tangled in her bedding, she was not able to get away before he was sitting on her thighs, straddling her while carefully controlling the weight he placed on her. With her pinned, he wasted no time in assaulting her hips on either side. She squealed and laughed, thrashing on the bed before sitting up and swatting at his hands in the process.

Steve for his part quickly wrapped his arms around her back and kissed her deeply as soon as she sat up. With a welcome like that, she was quick to forgive him for tickling her as she wrapped her arms around his neck again. He held her close to him as his hands found her waist and slipped under the hem of her top. They inched their way up her sides and around her back as she pressed herself to him.

The top bunched around her, just under her bust. Impossibly large hands slipped around her ribs and his rough thumb rubbed the underside of her breasts before slowly working higher and retreating down. He was so slow, so careful with every movement he made that she was going insane. His lips left hers only to busy themselves on her neck again.

“May I?” The question was muffled by her skin.

“Please.”

His hands went straight to work pulling the top up and over her head. He held her tightly to him as he kissed her deeply. The feeling of their skin against each other was everything they needed yet it only left them wanting more.

Again with guiding force, Steve pushed her back and she went willingly enough. Not once did his lips leave her. Just before fore her back hit the mattress Steve turned to land on his own back with her resting atop him, legs stretched out between his. He knew she would be able to feel him but was quickly distracted by the way she moved atop him, against him.

Lifting herself up, she moved one leg outside his and drug up up so that her knee rested by his hip before putting all her weight down and repeating the action with the other leg to straddle him. Finally, he opened his eyes when she broke the kiss to sit up and run a hand through the messy mass of her red curls, lit by the morning sun. Without doubt, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

“What?” Doubt colored her voice and made Steve realize he was just looking at her with what was surely a dumb look on his face. He could only hope that she enjoyed her view as much as he was enjoying his.

“You’re beautiful.” Steve whispered as he pushed himself up on his elbow and reached out to her.

His fingers danced over her cheek and tangled in her hair as he sat up to kiss her. The bed shifted and moved under him a bit causing Rose to reach out and brace herself with hands to his chest. With a soft touch, his hand traveled down her neck to rest on her shoulder while his other hand wrapped around her back and held her tightly.

When he finally cupped her breast in his palm she shuddered under the touch. Her mind stopped being able to form coherent thoughts as Steve’s lips slowly worked down her chest. Hips rocked against his with a mind of their own. The feeling of his length contained in his pants was as addicting as his touch. Reaching down with trembling hands, she managed to unfasten his belt and pull it free. The button to his jeans however were a harder task to complete with how he distracted her.

Softly, he pinched and rolled her nipple between his fingers as he swirled his tongue around the other. If not for Steve’s firm hand behind her back she wasn’t sure she would still be upright. Abruptly, Steve pulled back and swiftly turned to place her on her back against the bed. Kneeling between her legs, Steve rose up braced on one hand to kiss her again.

Rosemary set to work on his fly again as his hand explored everywhere he could reach. As she finally unbuttoned his jeans and pushed the zipper as far down as she could, it was hard to think. His hand was in her hair one moment and the next gripping her waist.

It felt like she couldn’t get enough as he kissed his way down her neck only to slowly work his way down her chest. First he softly sucked one nipple into his mouth only to let it free again. His teeth grazed lightly over the sensitive bud before he circled it with his tongue again, driving her insane.

Kissing his way to her other nipple, he repeated the actions. He was painfully hard in his pants but he was enjoying the way she squirmed under him. When he thought she’d been tormented enough he worked his way down lower and lower. It was mesmerizing how her ribs moved, working to produce the little breathy whimpers that escaped her.

As he worked his way down her stomach he enjoyed watching the muscles twitch and contract as she squirmed under him. Looking up at her, the flush on her face and chest was the most beautiful thing he’d seen.

She was amazing, hair a mess of flame around her. How was it possible that he got to be here with her now? Steve hooked his fingers under the elastic band that held the small shorts around her hips.

“You sure?” he again asked and she nodded, lip trapped between her teeth.

“Yeah.” Rosemary whispered finally when he began kissing along the hem instead of freeing her.

Steve pulled her legs up around him and worked the small shorts down the length of her so soft legs. While doing so he made a point to feel every inch of her that he could. When the shorts were free, he tossed them to the side where their shirts littered her floor. One leg fell to the side but he caught the other. First he placed a kiss on her ankle before placing another kiss on the side of her knee.

Letting go of her leg, he looked up at her to see a deep blush on her face. It was one of the prettiest things he had ever seen. Taking in the sight of her, Steve again decided he was a lucky man. Like a predator, Steve took his time working his way back up her body to claim what he had somehow been blessed with.

As he kissed her again, his hand worked a slow path down her body. Rose could do nothing but run her hands over his chest and circle her arms around his back to hold on. His fingers found the neat patch of curls. She was whimpering into his kiss as he slipped his fingers though her folds. She was wet for him, ready for him already but he knew not to rush things.

With a skillful touch, Steve found her clit and set to work circling it with a light touch. Moaning, she rocked her hips against his hand. Slipping his fingers lower, Steve teased her entrance as his thumb set to work rubbing her clit. He busied himself kissing and nibbling at her neck, leaving a trail of light red marks. It hadn’t been his intention but he found himself liking how they looked on her light skin.

One finger slipped deep inside her and she gasped out. Rosemary ran her short nails over his back as he pumped the finger into her a few times before adding a second. She felt impossibly tight around his fingers and he could only wonder how amazing she would feel around him. He watched as her back arched and breath came in pants. Around his fingers, he could feel every twitch of her walls. It didn’t take long for him to push her over the edge.

Rosemary clutched him as she came. Her legs clamped around him and she moaned deeply. Still she was left wanting more. She panted and writhed under him and Steve find that he needed nothing more than to be buried deep inside her. It seemed that she wanted the same thing. With her legs and hands both, she pushed at his pants and boxers, slowly working them down before he assisted. No time was wasted as he kicked them off. They fell in a heap off the end of the bed.

Rosemary shyly looked down at his impressive size. Just like everything about him, Steve’s cock was beautifully formed and larger than she expected. Reaching down, she wrapped her hand around him, feeling the soft skin around the hard shaft. After she pumped her hand along his length a few times he stopped her.

“I won’t last if you do. Not this time.” his voice was thick with need and Rosemary realized how much he was holding back, going slow just for her. “I need you.”

She leaned up and kissed him hard. His touches were coming rougher now. How badly he needed her was clear. She needed him just as badly. While she wasn’t sure how he would fit, she never wanted anything as badly as she wanted him inside of her.

“Condom.” He mumbled into the kiss, pulling back a bit. “Pants- I have one.”

“Nightstand. Top drawer.” Rosemary answered.

It was closer and Steve reached over and fumbled with the drawer, pulling it open with more force than intended. He rummaged around blindly before grabbing the box that had lived in the drawer since Mrs. Jones had given it to Rosemary shortly before their first date. He slipped his fingers into the box and ripped it open the best he could with one hand as Rosemary busied herself kissing his neck.

She found a spot on his neck that pulled a moan from deep in his chest when her teeth grazed over it. That quickly became her favorite place as he struggled to get one condom free from the package. Eventually he succeeded and sat back on his heels as she watched him, drinking in every delicious twitch of his muscles.

Ripping the package open, he didn’t waste a moment as he rolled the condom down his length before diving down to kiss her hard. His hands were in her hair and she moaned when the tip of his cock nudged against her folds.

“You sure?” He asked again.

“Please.” She all but begged. “I need you.”

Steve didn’t make her ask again. With a hand, he made sure to line himself up at her entrance and pushed slowly inside. They moaned together as she stretched around him. Just as Steve thought, she was impossibly tight around him and once their hips met he had to pause for a moment to gather himself.

She rocked her hips eagerly and Steve wasn’t one to deny her what they both so badly wanted. Slowly at first he began trusting deep into her. Her breaths came in gasps as she held on for dear life. She felt full to bursting as he slowly pushed into her over and over.

“More.” She begged and the sound drew a moan out of him.

He didn’t need to he told twice. Steve reached up and grabbed onto her headboard to use it as leverage. Each thrust came harder though he withdrew slowly from her. Each thrust drew a moan from her. Looking down at her as she writhed between thrusts made male pride swell within him.

Reaching down with his other hand when she slipped a leg high around his waist, Steve began rubbing her clit lightly. Instantly, she clamped tightly around his cock. She was clutching the arm braced on the headboard. Her other hand blindly groped, reaching around and down his back only to slide around to his front and run up his chest. The sweet touches where driving him as much as the breathy moans that spilled passed her lips.

“Steve, I… Steve…” She couldn’t even think clearly as the pressure peeked inside her.

“I know.” Steve’s thrust came faster, harder. The force of the thrusts drove her headboard into the wall but neither seemed to notice or care in the moment. “Fuck. Me too.”

She tightened around his cock as her back arched. A long moan slipped from her lips only to be broken up by the force of his sloppy thrusts as her orgasm pulled him into his own.

“Fuck.” He moaned as he stilled, emptying himself into the condom and it was one of the sexiest things she had ever heard.

He could feel ever twitch that passed through her. Letting go of the headboard, Steve was thankful that he hadn’t broken it. Settling lower over her, he kissed her long and slow. For all the heat and urgency between them, this kiss was nothing but sweet love. Her arms snaked around his back and she held him close as he softened slowly inside her.

“I love you, Rose.” Steve whispered as they parted.

“I love you, Steve.” She answered just as softly.

“I’ll get you a towel.”

Steve didn’t wait for an answer. Instead he kissed her again and got up. He slipped the condom from his length and tied it off as he walked, unashamed of his body toward the bathroom. She listened as he opened drawers and ran water. Before she knew it, he returned with a damp warm washcloth.

Once cleaned of her own slick, Rosemary didn’t really feel like moving. She was sore, tired and relaxed in a way she had never been before. Steve sat at the edge of the bed.

He suddenly felt very unsure of what it was he should be doing with himself as he looked down at her and around the room. Their clothes were scattered. Her hand resting on his drew his eyes back to her. Rosemary smiled constantly at him.

“Do you want anything? Water?” He asked.

“You-” The blush that colored Steve's cheeks when he looked down at her made her smile. How could she have that power over him? “You to hold me.”

Rosemary held her breath when he froze and just looked at her. Had she overstepped? Had his words been spoken just to get to between her legs? Had she misjudged him? He said she could trust him. Suddenly she felt more exposed as she lounged naked in her bed than she had ever in her life. She grabbed the blankets and pulled them up her legs all the while trying to watch him from the corner of her eyes.

A small smile cut across his face before turning into a boyish grin. Steve swung his legs into the bed and before she could even begin to understand how she had misread the situation, he was settling into the bed next to her.

Steve’s skin was chilled, the sweat from their earlier activities had dried. Settling his head back on the pillow after reaching down and pulling the blankets up and over them both. Turning onto his side to face her with his arm tucked under the pillow, he reached out for her.

Rosemary copied him, turning onto her side to face Steve. His large hand softly ran along her side and tucked around her back. He pulled her closer to him as if she weighed nothing and she couldn’t help but laugh.


	12. Chapter 12

In that moment Rosemary was more comfortable than she could ever remember being in her life. Her head was resting in the space just inside and under Steve’s shoulder, on his chest. She could hear his heart beating and feel the rise and fall of every slow breath he took. He was solid and warm, arm wrapped around her shoulder and hand resting on he curve of her hip.

At times the sound of him lulled her to a shallow sleep. She felt safer resting in his arms than she could ever remember being. Steve’s arm was curled around her and slowly ran a path up to her shoulder where his fingers began tracing light patterns. His other hand rested on his chest, clutching hers. Rosemary had her leg tucked over one of his and kept herself pressed tightly into his side. For their nakedness, she didn’t feel any concern laying with him.

Steve dozed as well with his lips pressed against the top of her head. The smell of her hair and the warmth of her body was comforting. Normally he wasn’t one for sleeping after a mission- he needed a day to unpack mentally but her soft skin pressed against his seemed to pull him along at times. Other times he was content to just hold her and think of what could be. It felt so good to just have someone to hold.

It was approaching mid morning before they started to stir. It started with the rumbling of Rosemary’s stomach announcing that she had lounged long enough. Steve let out a soft chuckle when his own stomach joined in the call for food.

“We should probably get up.” He spoke into her hair. “Put clothes on.”

“The horror.” Rosemary ran her hand down his firm chest before sliding it back up and into his hand again. “You should never wear clothes.”

Steve laughed at the admission. He knew he was a fine looking man, he saw how women looked at him since his body had grown and changed with the serum.At times it still felt odd to have women he didn’t even know look at him, lust after him. There was something different about hearing it from her. Male pride came to life within him once again.

“I could say the same of you.” Steve rolled over her, caging her in between his arms. “We should probably shower. Maybe you’ll let me wash your back?”

A blush colored her cheeks at the idea alone. Slowly, Steve leaned down and kissed her. Her own hands slipped up his shoulders and wrapped around his neck. One of his hands wondered down her side, greedily taking in the feeling of her soft skin as if for the first time. She rolled her hips as they kissed, rubbing her damp core against his thigh and feeling the hard length of Steve against her hip. Need bloomed to life within them again.

That was until her stomach let out a loud growl. Steve laughed as he pulled back from the kiss. Rosemary however was determined not to be sidetracked by her damn stomach when she had a much more important hunger she wished to address. She leaned up and began kissing Steve’s neck, trying to urge him into action again.

It almost worked. He was on the verge of giving into her when her stomach again made a request for food. Steve laughed louder as he dropped his head against the pillow next to her. His hand slipped under her back and with a swift roll that demonstrated his strength, Steve pulled her to rest against his chest as he rested again on his back. A giggle slipped out of her as she braced herself against him.

“I think your stomach is telling me something.” Steve smiled up at her as she pushed herself up off his chest to better look down at him, breasts softly resting on him.

“What’s that?” God she loved his messed up hair, the way the sunlight made his blue eyes sparkle and the lazy smile on his face.

“That I should ask this fair lady to accompany me on a breakfast date. So, the diner down the street- what do you say?” Her stomach answered.

“I guess I’ve got no choice. The stomach hath spoken.”

Rosemary didn’t get up right away but she did at least move off of Steve to allow him to dress. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he reached down and grabbed his pants and pulled them up his legs.

Steve felt her eyes on him and looked over. She was a sight sitting naked on the bed with her legs tucked under her. The sun shone on her and he again realized how lucky he was. So what, she had that chip drive. So what, she had her secrets. Still, she was everything he could ever dream of and he looked forward to slowly learning more and more of her.

After snagging his belt from the floor, he crossed the room to her. Leaning down, he kissed her sweetly, tangling his fingers in the wild mess of her hair. She rested her hand on his chest, just over his heart. He was warm, so warm to her touch and she wanted nothing more then to keep touching him.

“This may be one of the only times you ever hear me say this but- Get dressed, you.” This time it was Steve’s stomach to again announce the need for food.

“Alright.” She moaned dramatically and Steve whispered under his breath as he pretended not to notice the things she did to him.

Reaching down Steve tried to pick up his shirt off the floor while he watched her. She stretched her arms up over her head and arched her back. Her breasts were front, center and perky right in front of his face as be groped the floor. Her eyes were closed and a small moan slipped passed her lips as she stretched, body pulled taught right in front of him. Part of him wondered if she was actually trying to torture him.

It took Steve three attempts to pick up his shirt and was thankful to at least have it in his hand when her eyes opened. If she knew of the difficulty he had with the simple task of picking up his shirt, she didn’t show it. Rather, she just smiled at him as she slipped off the bed.

* * *

They walked hand in hand as they made their way back from the restaurant. Neither had been able to decide what they wanted and ended up sharing a plate. They laughed over strawberry creme creeps and a breakfast skillet, split between them as they talked.

Steve told her stories of the team, how Sam would cook for them and how Tony hosted grand parties. She listened eagerly as Steve spoke of living with his best friend. They laughed together as he admitted to the terrible mess he was preparing for their first date. The story of the sorry sandwiches made her wish he had brought the sad things that day.

“Did you at least go buy a proper knife set?” She asked eyeing him.

“On my way home that night.” He admitted. “Bucky still uses whatever knives are closest.”

“But do you?” She laughed when he blushed. “I guess at least you are trying.”

All in all, it had been a perfect breakfast date. It was something she could get used to. It was something she wanted to get used to. Looking up at him as they walked, Rosemary wondered what it would be like to do this with him more? What would it be like to wake up with him after sleeping in his arms the whole night? What would it be like to make breakfast together in her little kitchen? What would it be like?

They turned the corner and the cafe came into sight. How close everything was to home was quickly becoming something she loved about her current home. For the first time in her life, she began to care about the place she lived in. Seemingly randomly, he would pull her back by the hand he held and spin her around.

She giggled as she clung to him as he lifted her in to the air by a strong arm wrapped around her waist. As her feet settled back on the ground, he leaned down and kissed her. The breeze rustled around them and in that moment Rosemary felt like she had somehow stepped into one of her romance books.

“Do you want to come inside?” She asked as they pulled apart and he laughed.

“My keys are inside.”

“I know.” She grinned. “So do you want to come inside?”

“I guess I do.”

“You guess? I guess you better hurry before I lock the door.” Rosemary took off running toward the cafe.

Steve was a gentleman and for a few moments he just walked before he took off after her. She made it almost to the steps of the cafe when his arms circled her middle and he lifted her off her feet. She squealed and their laughter filled the air as the doors to the black sedan parked unnoticed near the entrance opened.

“Miss. Ramsey?” Rosemary froze, growing stiff in Steve’s arms. “Miss. Ramsey, I’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Clearly sensing something was very wrong, Steve set her down. Anxiety and panic rolled off her in waves putting him on high alert instantly. There was a sharpness to her eyes as she locked her sights on the woman shutting the door to the sedan. The coolness to her voice that he’d never heard before when she spoke.

“I’m Sara Wilson. You’ve got the wrong person.”

“Steve.” A tall black man with a leather trench coat and eye patch stood tall as he stepped out of the passenger seat.

“Nick.” Rosemary’s eyes flicked to Steve with a coldness he never wanted to have directed his way again. “What’s going on?”

“Ramsey, I’d like to discuss with you the facts of your father’s murder and your involvement.”

“I don’t know who you are or who Ramsey is. Leave me alone.”

“What is going on, Nick?” Steve demanded, steeping between Rosemary and the woman when she stepped forward. “Who are you?”

“Just some international cooperation.” Fury answered even as the woman began speaking over him.

“I’m Detective O’Kelley with the Dublin homicide department and the woman you are protecting is under investigation for the murder of Richard Ramsey. She and her brother slit their father’s neck and gutted him like a hog before sitting back and watching him die.”

“Whoever this Ramsey chick is, I’m sure she didn’t do it.”

“Witnesses overheard the two of you planning and we all know who you are, you can stop the game. I’ve known you since you were just a little thief on the streets.” The detective’s lips curled in disgust.

“Miss Ramsey, I’ve come to offer you a deal. If you are indeed all that is said of you-”

“Whatever you’ve got to offer- I’m sure she’s not interested wherever the hell she is.”

“You’re papers a good but you know what’s better? Actual papers. I’m offering to obtain them for you if you work with me. Rub my back and I’ll rub yours.” Fury spoke calmly. “I don’t care about what happened with your father.”

“We don’t know who killed him. We don’t care.”

“You did. Stop being a coward and admit it!” Detective O’Kelley snapped.

“We’ve been over this Mary.” Rosemary pinched the bridge of her nose. “We planned, we intended but we did not do. The world is a better place without him.” She turned, body tense and began walking toward the cafe.

“If you’re innocent then why did you run?” Rosemary turned to face her, tears in her eyes.

“Because we were twelve. Bloody hell, you care so much about his death but none of you gave a fuck about what he did.”

“And you’re other crimes? Arms dealing? What else are you dealing? How about being in America illegally? This sweet innocent girl thing is working for you. It’s a shame that it’s falling apart.”

“Do you have a warrant?” Rosemary asked, voice colder than the ice that he had been trapped in for all those years. When the woman didn’t answer again she snapped her question a second time.

“No, Ma’am.” Fury answered.

“You’re not welcome in my home until you do.” Rosemary slowly walked toward the cafe. When Detective O’Kelley made to follow Fury shook his head, directing her to stay put.

“Rose?” Steve took a few steps to follow before she turned to face him with a fire in her eyes that was all of a sudden so much worse. The look she gave him made him stop in his tracks.

“You!” She yelled. “You lied to me you bloody cunt. You tricked me. I let you in. Just so you could help her fucking find me?! I trusted you. I should have never let you in.”

When she turned and ran up the steps Steve followed, reaching out and grabbing her hand to stop her. He had no clue what was going on but he had no part of it. Whoever Ramsey was, he didn’t know. She turned and slapped him hard. The blow shocked him more than anything. He’d taken much worse hits in his life.

“You told me you loved me and I believed you.” She screamed as tears fell down her cheeks.

“I do.” Steve let go of her hand and searched her eyes. It killed him to see her crying. “I don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“Lies.” She whimpered.

“Rogers.” Fury called from behind him and never had Steve hated the man as much as he did in that moment.

Rose turned and ran. Steve was torn between demanding answers from Fury or following her. In the time he spent trying to decide the right thing to do, she was through the cafe door and it was shut behind her.

“What the hell was that about?” Steve questioned as Fury drew closer.

“There seems to be things about her you don’t know that-

“I’m aware.” Steve snapped. “You know what, just leave. I’ll check in later.”

He rushed up the steps and pushed through the doors. In the stairwell he could just see her red hair disappear out of sight. He needed to catch her. He needed to explain it to her. She needed to understand that he had no part of what happened. It had nothing to do with him. He didn’t tell anyone about her secrets.

“Steve!” Mrs. Jones called from her place clearing a table. When he didn’t answer she called again while making her way toward him.

“I need to talk to Rose.” He absently answered.

“Rose?”

“Sara.” He corrected.

“Son, sit with me a spell. I think you and I need to talk.” Mrs. Jones pulled out a chair at the table next to him. He didn’t want to sit. He didn’t want to talk. “You and I both know the only way out of that apartment is down those stairs. She’ll still be there when I’ve spoken my mind.”

“Fine.” Steve had to admit the woman had a point. Rose couldn’t leave without him knowing and Mrs. Jones may have information about whatever the hell was going on. Steve sat in the chair and tried to soften what he knew was the stern expression on his face. Something was going on and whatever it was, he needed answers so be could best be there for Rose.

“I may be old, but I ain’t deaf.” Mrs. Jones started.

“I’m sorry about what happened in the parking lot.” Steve sighed, expecting to be lectured for making a scene.

“I expected it eventually. A girl like Rosemary doesn’t get to have a peaceful life if she stays in one spot to long.”

“What do you know that I don’t?” Steve leaned forward. He hadn’t expected Mrs. Jones to refer to Rose by the same name as had been used outside.

“I know what the rumors of her are. I also know she is so much more then what is said of her. I know she’s lived a lonely life to protect herself. I know that a lot of what they say about her isn’t true. I’d bet my left leg that she didn’t kill no one unless she had to.”

“What does she do?” Steve softly asked. “What-”

“Her story is hers to tell. What I want to know is how much do you know?”

“She has secrets. She told me she prefers to be called Rose, not Sara. That she has a brother who she hasn’t seen in a long time. That’s… That’s it.”

“You didn’t do that?” Mrs. Jones asked, waving her hand toward the door to the cafe.

“I had no part in that. I work with Fury but… I didn’t know anything. Nothing at all.”

“You love her?”

“Enough to scare me. But I don’t know how to protect her, to help her without knowing the facts.”

“You’ve got a battle to win that girl’s trust again. Her life depends on not trusting anyone to get close, not letting anyone find out who or where she is. But know she is a good person. She is worth it. Now, if you are sure you want her after that scene- go talk to her but don’t push her.”

Steve got up with a firm nod. Mrs. Jones knew more than she was saying but at least she reassured him. Sara, Rose or Rosemary- the name didn’t matter. She was a good person and that’s all he needed to know. She said she didn’t kill her father, he needed to trust in that as he climbed the stairs two at a time.


	13. Chapter 13

Rosemary hated how the tears fell down her face. When she slammed the door behind her she grabbed the first thing she could reach and threw it against the couch, not caring what it was or if it broke. It didn’t matter if she broke things, she just lost her home. She wanted to scream and claw and light fire to everything.

She knew what she had to do but as she looked around the small apartment it hurt. For the first time in her life, she didn’t want to go. For the first time in her life, she had felt like she had a home. Somehow she both wanted to light the place on fire to cleanse it of the memory of the time she had spent with Steve there and never leave the apartment again.

Taking a quick mental stock, she tried to decide what she could take with her as she grabbed the suitcase out of the closet. One bag- that was all she ever got to take. Grabbing handfuls of clothes out of drawers, she tossed them without care into the bag. She just needed enough to last until Julian set her up in the next place with7yuher. He played her and she danced to his tune. She tried to tell herself it was fun while it lasted but she wasn’t so sure the pain was worth it.

There was knocking at the door. She wondered if it was Mary, the now detective that seemed to enjoy hunting her down and making her consider murder for the sake of murder. She tried to ignore it.

“Rose?” Steve’s voice was muffled through the door as she left the bedroom. She passed by the bathroom and she could see the marks he had made on her during their morning lovemaking. That morning she believed he loved her.

His keys glared at her, reminding her that unless his friends gave him a ride back she had to interact with him one more time. Without much thought, she plucked the ring up and the clattering seemed to be too loud in the empty space.

“Rose, I know you’re in there. I know you’re upset but open up- we need to talk.” Rosemary considered opening the balcony door and chucking Steve’s keys out as far as she could throw them. He was Captain America, surely he could find them. There was a defeated thud against the door and she wondered if it was Steve’s head that had hit the door. “I had no part in what happened. I was just as blindsided as you.”

When she yanked open the door he nearly stumbled into the apartment. “Then how the bloody hell did they find me?” She hissed.

“I don’t know.” The tears on her face broke his heart. “Rose… You’ve got to tell me what’s going on. If Nick’s involved- If I don’t know, I can’t help you.”

She laughed and it was a brittle sound. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her. Yet when he did move to do so, she took a harsh step back.

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not falling for your lies again. Leave.”

“I… It’s not a lie. Rose, I lo-”

“Shut up!” She yelled as fresh tears fell from her eyes. The sound likely was heard by the entire cafe below.

“I need my keys.” Steve softly asked, realizing that there would be no talking to her this day.

Rosemary pulled her arm back and with all her strength she threw the keys. The hit him square in the chest and fell to the floor. It did him no harm but she hadn’t expected it too. She had hoped it would have made her feel better but the pain her he heart seemed to cut all the deeper. A sob slipped from her just as she slammed the door in Steve’s face.

Crumpling to the ground, she wrapped her arms around her legs and sobbed. She could hear and feel the thump against the door and she assumed Steve was leaning back on it. She hadn’t heard him walk away. She could hear as he mimicked and sat on the ground, back against the door.

“Rose?” His voice softly came through the door. She sniffled but otherwise didn’t answer him.

“I’m going to find out what’s going on. I’m going to find a way to help you. I don’t- It would be easier if you talk to me, tell me everything. But if you won’t… I’ll do the best I can. Okay?”

God she wished he would just leave. She didn’t want to hear his lies. In her heart, she wondered if they were lies. The question, the thought that maybe- just maybe he was telling the truth made her cry all the harder. She could never trust him, not with the question of how much of a part he had in this always living in the back of her mind.

Even if she forgave him, even if he had no part in it- now was the time to disappear. There was no other choice. She couldn’t stay with Steve, keep him in her life even if she trusted him. He could be used to find her. No links- that was the rule. Each time she moved, she kept no links to the old identity.

This was it. It was over. Everything was over.

“I’ll go for now, but I’ll be back on Saturday morning. If you need me, if you want me to come or want to talk- call me, text me. Send a damn pigeon with a note. I’m going to figure out what is going on with that detective and Nick.” She could hear him get to his feet on the other side of the door. “For what its worth, if you say you didn’t kill your father I believe you.”

Steve paused for a few moments longer with his hand resting on the door before he reluctantly walked away. He didn’t want to leave her. There was so many more things he wanted to say. There were so many questions he had for her. Reaching down, he picked his keys up off the floor and sulked down the stairs.

“Steve?” Mrs. Jones called when she saw him but he just shook his head solemnly.

“She told me to leave.”

“And just like that, you’re leaving?” Mrs. Jones challenged.

“She’s not ready to give me any answers. You know more that you won’t tell me. That leaves me no choice but find answers from people who will talk to me.” There was a bite to his voice that he had tried to soften. Steve was hurting and he was angry. Whatever was going on, it was bigger than Mrs. Jones and he had no business taking it out on her.

“If you love her-”

“I’m doing this  _because_ I love her.” He snapped and instantly regretted it. “I can’t help her, I can’t protect her if I don’t know what I need to protect her from. Unless you’re going to tell me more- I need to get going.”

He gave the old woman a moment before nodding his head and marching swiftly out of the cafe. He wasted wouldn’t waste more time talking to people who wouldn’t give him answers. Looking around as the door closed behind him, Steve didn’t see any sign of Fury or the Detective and he wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

Before riding away, he gave Rosemary’s bedroom window one last look. He had hoped to have seen her in the window. Maybe if she saw him, she would understand that whatever was going on, he was on her side. The window was empty however and finally he turned his back on the cafe and ride back to the City.

* * *

It took everything Rosemary had not to open the door and run after him as she listened to his heavy steps descend the stairs. Finally when it sounded like he reached the bottom of the staircase, she pulled herself to her feet. It was muffled but she could hardly hear his voice as he spoke to someone. Mrs. Jones was probably asking him what had happened.

Taking a few steps into the center of her living room, Rosemary stood there numbly. She couldn’t say how long she had stood there or what she was waiting for. Outside, Steve’s motorcycle came to life with a loud roar. The engine idled and Rosemary prayed that he would just leave.

Was he talking to them? That man and the Detective Mary? God, Rosemary couldn’t believe Mary was a detective now. They’d never gotten along well. Mary was the daughter of a detective herself and as a child, Rosemary always found her pockets to be an easy target. Mary had a good number of years on her.

Mary’s farther was forgiving enough whenever she would be caught, feeling that both the Ramsey children were products of their parents. She remembered Mary’s father giving her some coins when she got caught and a slice of bread. He had showed them many kindnesses as children but when their father turned up dead and the children lacked remorse, even he seemed to turn on them. To him, murder was unforgivable. Mary was very much a product of her father.

She didn’t remember the walk into her bedroom or up to her bedroom window. Yet there she stood as she looked at Steve’s back as he slowly made his way out of the parking lot. No one was out there with him and it appeared he had been just sitting there for a while.

Part of her wanted him to look back. She wanted to see the look on his face. Was he hurting as much as she was? Did he have tears in his blue eyes? Part of her prayed he didn’t look back.

He stopped before exiting the parking lot and for a moment she thought he would do it, look back at her. He didn’t. It felt like a knife went through her chest when he began to move again.

Rosemary looked around the bedroom in an effort to try and find some sort of comfort. Instead all she found was cold sheets, crumpled and wrinkled into a heap by their lovemaking that morning. The room still smelled like him. For the first time she had felt like she had found a home and now there was no comfort for her there. She told herself there was nothing left for her here.

With Steve gone, she grabbed up her phone and slipped it in her purse. After changing into a pair of jeans and a simple black tee shirt, she slipped her feet into some sturdy hiking boots. She washed the tears from her face and took a deep breath. All she had to do was gather what she could take and let Julian know.

Rosemary: Need extraction asap.

Julian: I’ll call in 15. Be ready to leave in an hour.

* * *

Julian was distracted through the rest of the product meeting. He really didn’t give a damn about what the designers and developers had to tell him. Just a few more minutes and he would be free to call her.

“Mr. Matthews?” Shit. Caught not paying attention. Again.

“Yes. Well, that all sounds good. Carry on and report back at the end of the week.” No one had anything else to say about his lack of attention.

It took him no time at all to return to his office. With the door shut and locked behind him, he pulled the blinds closed. He switched on the small device that lived under his desk and gave it a moment to work. It disrupted all recording devices not already coded as safe. The only thing that would make a call out in that room with the device turned on was his cell phone.

Pulling up the contact marked with just a single picture of what some people misidentified as a weed, he pressed the call button. A window appeared on the screen requesting identity verification with a small black rabbit bouncing on the bottom of the screen. He scanned his fingerprint and iris then held the phone to his ear.

He listened to the ringing in his ear. It rang and rang before a generic voicemail picked up. As lead settled in his stomach, Julian again called the number and again the call went to voicemail again and again. When after five calls went to voicemail Julian switched off the device and grabbed his keys off his desk.

He had no idea what else to do but to drive to Arokn. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to settle until he knew she was safe. He ignored the employees buzzing around the building as he made his way down to the garage. He passed the pretty secretary who was scheduled to meet him in his office within 20 minutes for a private meeting he had very much looked forward to taking his time enjoying.

Never in his life had he wished so badly that he was going to miss spreading a secretary out on his desk in order to drive two hours only to find his sister busy bedding Captain fucking America. He would be ecstatic to walk in on him balls deep in her, ass woman fawned over flexing. The image of his sister, naked with a man would be forever burned into his mind and he would be bloody thankful for it.

Because if that was why she wasn’t answering her phone, it would mean she was okay. In that way they had of just knowing things, he knew that wasn’t the case. Something was wrong, very wrong.

He drove his sleek black car too fast as he made his way to Arkon. At one point her nearly clipped a man riding a motorcycle while they passed each other on a bend. Julian didn’t bother to slow down or stop to check if the man was alright. The man kept driving, seemingly unfazed by the encounter. That was just as well.

It was just over ninety minutes later he skidded to a stop in front of the cafe. Looking around, nothing seemed amiss. That didn’t mean shit, he knew. Perfectly normal looking neighborhoods often held horrible secrets. Evil lived in plain sight. It was a lesson they learned young.

“Can I help you sir?” A kindly old woman called as he made his way quickly through the cafe toward the stairs. He’d been here only once before.

“I’m visiting a friend.” He called over his shoulder with a smile. “Sara. She invited me over.”

“Sara’s not home.” The old woman was on her way over to where Julian stood so close to the stairs and yet seemingly so far away. “Who are you?”

“Name’s Mark. We grew up together.”

“Just like her name’s Sara?” The woman sighed and Julian wondered what she knew. “Sara left almost two hours ago.”

“Where did she go?”

“I don’t-”

“Was anyone here?”

“A delivery man went up with flowers. Probably from Steve. That young man is as smitten as I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t be surprised if-” Julian didn’t let her finish before he turned and made his way up the stairs two at a time.

The door at the top of the stairs was open and a sliver of light spilled down the stairs. That was a bad sign. He resisted the urge to grab the door by the handle and instead pushed it open with his shoulder and he prayed to find Rosemary fucking Steve with flowers on the end table. Silently he offered a prayer to be traumatized.

The floor of her living room was littered with books and DVD cases and Julian’s world stopped. Rosemary loved books and had a great respect for the things in her life. Though she kept very little with her as she moved from life to life, she respected that once she moved on those things she left behind would eventually find new homes with new people living different lives.

On the breakfast bar a vase of roses sat discarded. Julian plucked up the card and opened it only to find it blank. Setting it down, he made his way into her bedroom. He wrinkled his nose at the slight lingering smell of a man’s cologne but quickly pushed it out of his mind. Steve had been here, he had already suspected that.

Just like the living room, the bedroom had her personal items strewn about. Her laptop was missing and a suitcase sat partially filled on the bed. Julian ran his fingers under the edge of her desk looking for anything she could have hidden there. It was one of their typical go to spots. When he didn’t find anything he yanked the open top drawer from her desk and looked under it.

He could see where she stored the Black Rabbit chip on the underside of the drawer. The chip wasn’t there. He absently walked back into the living room as the old woman made it to the top of the stairs. Julian glanced over to the vase of roses that had got whoever it was that trashed Rosemary’s apartment a free pass up the stairs.

Rage boiled within in as he realized whoever had done this had probably taken Rosemary as well. She was gone and he had no idea where. He snatched the vase off the counter top. Water spilled out over his hand but he paid it no mind as he hurled it against the wall. Against the wall behind the TV, the vase exploded in a shower of red glass, white petals and water.

It did nothing to calm the rage that was inside him. Julian walked down the stairs and out of the cafe without giving anyone around him so much as a final look. She was gone and someone took her. He could reach out to the web of informants she maintained for information but he could never get the threads on her web to sing like she did. He was sure Steve and the avengers had been involved. Rosemary was too good to be located and captured that fast by anyone underground.

Whatever happened to her, he was sure Steve Rogers had the answers.


	14. Chapter 14

 

Julian sat in the comfortable leather seat of his too expensive car and he felt like vomiting. After a few deep breaths, pulled his phone out and scanned both his iris and fingerprint. There was time for that later. Now was the time to take action and find Rosemary before she got hurt. Or worse.

“Engage Black Rabbit override.” He spoke calmly.

“Good day, Lord Ramsey.” A small black rabbit came onto the screen.

“Not a good day.” He mumbled.

“What can I do to help?”

“Two tasks- Tend the web for the Lady’s location.”

“And the second?”

“How do you feel about playing with Stark’s Jarvis? I need the AI occupied and security systems overridden.”

“Consider it done. I look forward to meeting Jarvis.”

“Find me the location of Steve Rogers once you’re in.” Julian plugged what anyone would assume was a blue tooth headset into his ear. After connecting the systems, he stepped out of the car.

By the time he stepped onto the grounds of the Tower, Rabbit had engaged and hijacked Jarvis. The she blocked his control while filtering his responses. Black Rabbit was designed in part with the rumored Stark AI in mind from early on. It was finally time to test her against it.

When he stepped through the doors, Rabbit directed him to take the elevator to the left. He had to walk passed two security guards and the information desk. As he approached, the door opened for him.

“Sir?” A receptionist called out but was ignored. She picked up the phone intending to inform security that someone was on the Avengers private elevator without authorization or checking in at the desk. When she picked up the phone she found that the line was filled with a high pitched voice singing ‘black rabbits playing in the sun’ over and over again. That left her no option but to wave down the floor security who wouldn’t make it in time to stop him.

“When we stop, you’ll walk out and into their meeting room rather unannounced. A dramatic entry complete with the setting sun, just like you like it.”

“Thank you.” The doors opened and the show was on.

\------------------------------------------

Tony was pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat at the large conference table. On either side of him were Steve and Nick getting into the closest thing to a screaming match he had ever seen. Steve wanted answers and Nick seemed to dodge every question. The team sat divided. Looking up at the sound of the automatic doors opening, Tony saw something he never expected.

“Mark? How the hell did you get here? Why are you here? Jarvis, did we forget security?”

“Sir, I’m not feeling so well.”

“Black Rabbit, let him go however remain present in his systems.” The voice that came from Mark was different than Tony had ever heard before and was now carrying a heavy accent.

“Yes Lord Ramsey.” A voice Tony did not program into the system spoke from the in house sound system. Steve’s head shot up as soon as the unknown AI spoke the name.

“Who are you?” Tony asked as Steve stood, drawing some of the others to their feet as well.

“Where is she?” Julian asked instead of answering.

“How did you get in here?” Tony shot back.

“Our Black Rabbit system unlocked your doors. Perhaps you shouldn’t be so cocky, Stark. Even you can be hacked.” Tony had to admit he was impressed. “Now, tell me what you did with her you bloody cock!” Julian’s voice grew louder with each word and no one was wholly sure who he was screaming at exactly.

That was, no one except Steve. “You’re her brother?”

“Yes, now return her to me. Save me some time and I won’t sell every shield secret.”

“What are you talking about?” Steve asked as the room erupted into a mess of questions. “I left-”

“You left the bloody flowers behind. Where did you take her?!”

“She’s gone? What flowers?”

“Oh you have some nerve acting so fucking surprised, like a clueless cock.”

“What the fuck is going on?” Bucky snapped, trying to draw Steve’s attention before turning to the stranger. “Who the hell are you? Who’s missing?”

“My bloody sister. You lot fucking weaseled your way into her life- into her heart. Fucking golden boy sweet talked his way into her pants just to capture her and use her for what? Information?”

“Lord Ramsey?” The unknown voice of Black Rabbit called out only to be ignored.

“Now that you’ve betrayed her, you’ll not get to dip your cock in her again. She won’t even make the web sing for you. You think she’s weak?”

“Lord Ramsey!” The voice of the AI came louder.

“What?!” He finally snapped.

“I’m not able to find trace of Lady Ramsey within Stark databases nor Shield’s.”

“Excuse me but mind getting out of my computers?” Tony snapped at the AI.

“I’m sorry Mr. Stark, I’ve a job to do. I’m sure Jarvis can understand my concern with my Lady being missing. He is being most accommodating.”

“I’ve not had much choice in the matter.” Jarvis added, seemingly annoyed.

“No trace? So, he doesn’t trust Jarvis as much as we do you.” Julian tried to ignore how unlikely it was that Stark would keep a secret from his AI.

“No trace.” Rabbit confirmed.

“She’s missing?” Steve again asked, taking a few steps closer to the stranger that looked in some ways so much like the woman he loved.

“Sir, I am finding records of every medication Mr. Stark has taken over the last three years. Every diet he has been on. Ever lab result. Every doctor’s report. Every STD test. Every panic attack. I feel safe in the assumption that he is in no way involved in the abduction of Lady Ramsey.”

“You took her.” Julian seemed to ignore the information that the AI had provided.

“We didn’t take her.” Steve looked back toward Fury, the one person he couldn’t be sure of.

“I had no part in her disappearance. Shield wished to source her for information in exchange for protection- Assuming she is indeed who we believe her to be.” Fury offered.

“And who do you think Steve’s girlfriend is exactly?” Bucky asked critically.

“We had reason to suspect that the woman claiming to be Sara Wilson was in fact young Miss Ramsey- who’s first name we’ve not been able to verify or obtain.”

“Rosemary.” Steve offered. “The detective called her Rosemary.”

“I am aware. And yet- we’ve not been able to find a single piece of paperwork to verify the name. What we were able to verify in the birth records was the fact that she had a twin brother who’s name we also couldn’t verify. So, I’ll ask you Mr. Ramsey, what is your name?”

“Ramsey.” He said simply, crossing his arms. “Why should I trust you?”

“Frankly, you probably shouldn’t.” Steve answered. “Shield has an agenda- they always do.”

“What an honest way to speak in front of the Director himself.” Black Rabbit commented. “Perhaps one that would speak of his own Director and organization might be worth trusting?

“Who asked you? Shut up, Rabbit.” Julian snapped at the AI earning a snicker from Tony.

“Good to know I’m not the only one who’s AI forgets their place.”

“Sir, I’m always aware of my place. I simply choose to step out of it.”

“You can trust me.” Steve offered. “I told her I would protect her and I meant it.”

“And look how bloody well that worked out, trusting someone else?” Ramsey had a point. Steve had said he would protect her and now she was gone and he hadn’t even known. He still didn’t even know what had happened.

“So…” Sam leaned back. “What are your actual names then? And who would want to take her? That pretty little detective didn’t seem to be one for kidnapping.”

“No- I’ve had eyes on her since she landed. Whatever her issue is with Miss Ramsey, it’s personal but she isn’t aware of the depth of Mrs. Ramsey’s ties to the underworld.” Fury added.

“Just call me Ramsey.”

“So if you’re Ramsey and she’s Ramsey…?” Sam pressed.

“You can call her whatever he was calling her. I don’t really care- once she’s safe I’ll make sure you never find her again.”

“Or we can arrange something that gets you and the little Lady Spider both protection, papers and even the opportunity to live something of a normal life.”

“Lady Spider?” Natasha asked only to have Steve parrot the question.

“She is the woman known underground as ‘Lady Spider’, is she not?” Fury asked.

“Is she the ‘Lady Spider’?” Steve asked, while Ramsey debated if he wanted to answer truthfully. “If she is we need to know!”

“Why?” Julian didn’t care for being yelled at but there was something about the way Steve’s demeanor changed. “Why’s that so important?”

Bucky pulled out and unfolded the note that had saved their lives. It had been their intention to look into who the “Lady Spider” was and to possibly even find a way to thank her. They had their questions for her as well. After all, she had somehow been able to find information about the mission and their location. They needed to know how she knew.

Before the contents of the paper could be disclosed to Julian however, Rabbit spoke up. “Sir, I’ve been able to obtain footage of Lady Ramsey that appears to show her not in Shield custody.”

“Why do you say that?” Julian asked.

“Shield doesn’t utilize powder blue Ford’s in their official operations.” Julian had to admit that the damn AI had a point. A powder blue Ford wouldn’t be standard issue. That raised the question of who she was with. “Shall I display it?”

“Fine.”

For the first time since Steve walked into that conference room to demand answers from Fury the room was silent. Steve and Ramsey both intently watched when a crystal clear screen lifted up through the center of the table. Ramsey moved to stand regretfully close to Steve in order to see better.

They all watched as a black brown Subaru first pulled in front of what had once been a Blockbusters seemingly a lifetime ago. The building now sat empty in what clearly was a dilapidated and less than savory neighborhood. The location details scrolled across the bottom of the screen but Steve and Ramsey both paid the information no mind as they watched the scene unfold.

The doors to the Subaru opened and a large man stepped out of the driver side while a powder blue Ford pulled up from the other direction. More men stepped out of the Ford. As they spoke the back door of the Subaru opened and a woman was pushed out onto the ground by yet another large man. The auburn hair that was so uniquely hers was the first thing that Steve saw.

“J, can you zoom this?” Tony asked out of habit. In reality he wasn’t sure if Jarvis even had enough control over the systems with the Rabbit AI present.

“Will do, Sir.” Jarvis answered and appeared to be functioning normally.

With the feed zoomed in they could see the small rip in the knee of her jeans and the dark patch that could very well have been blood. Still, both Steve and Ramsey give anything to know it was mud. They couldn’t be so lucky.

They watched as Rosemary crawled away only to have the man who had shoved her out of the car reached down and grabbed a handful of the hair Steve so loved. She was violently yanked up by him but swiftly turned and landed a kick between his legs. Pride swelled in both the men watching on as the man buckled over.

“Is that her?” Clint asked only to be ignored by both Steve and Ramsey.

“That is indeed Lady Ramsey.” Rabbit answered as the team watched.

The man grabbed her ankle before she could get more than a foot or so away however. She was pulled back toward him and as she turned to kick at the man again they could see the blood on her palms. The man had no trouble swatting the blow away and grabbed her by the wrist. She was hauled to her feet and her arm was twisted behind her. Steve was thankful for the lack of audio as she appeared to cry out in pain. He wasn’t sure what hearing that would have brought to life within him.

Ramsey was watching him closely, not wanting to continue to watch as his beloved sister was harshly yanked around. He could watch the footage again and gain just as much from it. What he had now was the only opportunity to observe and analyze Steve’s reactions to what he was seeing.

A silent rage was brewing within Steve as he was observed. Ramsey had spent much of his life learning to read people. At first only to know who’s pockets he could pick and get away with it, who wouldn’t notice their wallet missing for an hour or so but later in life to read businessmen and women both in legal scenarios and in the underground.

Steve’s jaw twitched and clenched as he stood stock still, frozen in place. The man held Rose on the screen with one hand in her hair again and the other keeping her arm hiked up high behind her back, keeping her securely in place. His eyes trained on one man in particular that he recognized.

“Give me a look at the man in black.” He ordered and the AI opened a side window with a zoomed shot of the man in question’s face. It wasn’t clear but Steve had no doubt that he recognized the man. He was one of the few high profile faces contained in the mission folder for their most recent mission.

Steve’s attention was drawn back to the larger video. The men appeared to speak for a minute before money was exchanged. They watched as the men nodded and shook hands before a few words were spoken before Rose was violently shoved forward. She landed against the chest of another large man who wasted no time in grabbing her arms and shoving them behind her back and securing them.

Their touches were harsh and violent leaving Steve with no doubts that she would have bruises from them. Harshly, she was shoved in the back of the vehicle and out of sight. The men spoke for another moment and in the window Steve could see where the sole of her boot repeatedly made contact with the window, trying to break it out. The men entered their respective vehicles and drove away.

“Run the plates.” Ramsey ordered.

“Lord Ramsey, they are forgeries. The DMV has no records of these plates.” Rabbit answered.

“I have access to traffic cameras.” Jarvis supplied. “I’ll begin tracing their path as best I can.” Ramsey had to admit that it was nice not to have to waste even more valuable time hacking into the systems.

“Why did you want to know about Lady Spider?” Ramsey was calmer now that he’d had a moment to observe and think. Bucky held out the paper again to Steve who handed it to Ramsey. “What’s the story with this?”

“We were on mission and the letter came to the safe house delivered by a villager. He ran off before we could get more information.” Clint offered.

“He wouldn’t have told you anything anyway.” Ramsey tossed the paper onto the table. “Rabbit- What was Rosemary’s last transactions?”

“Lady Ramsey purchased information regarding the location of the safe house in question.”

“How?” Sam asked.

“It was offered on the open information market. Shield should show more appreciation toward their lower level agents.” Rabbit answered. “She blocked Marques from purchasing the information.”

“shit.” Bucky sat back. “We could have been ambushed that night.”

“Indeed. Lady Ramsey did not wish for your team to be endangered. Additionally, she called in a favor from one of Marques’ high ranking confidants in order to arrange the movement of a large supply of bio weapons. Subsequently, she had the weapons transferred locations seven times. As of this morning she was negotiating the disposal of the weapons.”

“Steve, I think your girlfriend saved our lives.” Tony pointed out, leaning back in his chair.

“That was Lady Ramsey’s intention.” Rabbit added.

“And put a bloody target on her own back.” Ramsey grumbled. If only she let them all die and listened to him. “You better have been worth it.”

Ramsey found himself regretfully falling into a tentative truce with the people he never in his life expected to be working with. He didn’t like them. He didn’t want to work with them. It was their fault that she was taken. He still held that animosity in his heart. Yet he knew without a doubt that by working with them, Rosemary could potentially be saved sooner.

That didn’t mean he had to like it. Still the longer he spent with them, he could see why Rosemary was drawn to Steve. She had always had a goodness to her that seemed to survive no matter what she had been thought. Shield was offering her a way out.

His company was profitable enough to support him in a legal life if he wanted. They’ve come so far that if they wanted to, if they had protection there was no reason why they couldn’t turn back and live an honest life.

Would that be what Rosemary wanted? He hadn’t even given it any thought but what if Rosemary wanted out? What happened when they got older and wanted families? What if she was ready to settle down? What if didn’t want to say goodbye to Steve? What if he was forcing what he thought was best on her? What if he hadn’t been giving Rosemary a change to live even as he worked to keep her alive?

What if?


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warning: References to childhood abuse, forced childhood prostitution and graphic description of spousal abuse/murder.
> 
> Well kids, this chapter is two days late but about 800 words longer than normal. Ever wondered what Rosemary and Julian's childhood was like? What sort of childhood would make these two people?

Chapter 15

 

Rosemary’s shoulders ached. Her fingers were slightly numb though she wiggled them periodically to make sure she still could. Her joints hurt and part of her would kill for the chance to just get up and stretch, though she was sure if she tried to stand her knees would buckle under her weight.

Around her, men spoke in a language she didn’t understand. The cabin of the small aircraft vibrated with the force of the engines as they sailed through the air, high above the ground. For the life of her, she couldn’t remember getting on the plane. That gap in memory caused her to rightly believe she had been drugged at some point.

With no memory of take off, she had no way of knowing how long they had been in the air. They could have taken her anywhere. If she didn’t know where she was it would make it even harder to call for help.

She wondered where they were taking her but part of her feared she already knew the answer. It had been a mistake to save Steve’s life. It had been a mistake to step into Avenger business. She tried to tell herself that she should have just let Steve and his team die, though she couldn’t get herself to believe it.

A man walked up to her and with a thick accent that seemed to confirm her fears, he spoke. “You have questions, yes?”

“Can I get a large quad shot mocha? And maybe unchained?”

Perhaps sassing wasn’t the best idea. Actually, when the man reached out and slapped her hard, she was pretty sure it had been a bad idea. Still, it made her feel better for a second. But she did learn something valuable, at least one person on this plane spoke English.

“What do you want with me?” She shouted as the man walked away. The more he talked, the more she could learn. “Where are you taking me?”

“We want location of weapon.”

“What weapon? I don’t know anything about a weapon. I think you’ve kidnapped the wrong person.”

“You’re Lady Ramsey.” Well shit- they kidnapped the right person.

“My name is Sara Wilson.” If only they would take that answer.

“Sara Wilson has only existed for one year.” Gosh, has it been that long already? “You are Lady Ramsey. You are the Lady Spider.”

She spent the rest of the flight trying to deny it. She argued, supplied facts from her fabricated childhood that could be verified on the surface level. After a few hours, she had tried to convince them to let her out of her chains. She asked for a bathroom break and was offered a bucket and a group of men who seemed all to eager to watch her use it. Turned out, she didn’t have to go that badly after all.

It had been a long flight and the sun had gone down hours before when they finally descended into a clearing. The plane made a rough landing on what appeared to be a private airstrip in a thick jungle. The air was thick with misquotes eager to feed from them. It was a shame applying bug spray wasn’t a part of her morning routine though in reality she knew it would have worn off by now anyway.

She could just imagine cuddling with Steve while covered in the strong scent of bug spray. That would surely increase the odds of a repeat of this morning. Every man loved to smell of it, right?

This morning seemed so long ago. It was another lifetime. One where she could pretend that she was just Sara Rose Wilson. With how they parted- did he even know she’d been taken? Had he tried to reach her? Did he call? She should have let him in. She should have trusted him. Perhaps he did turn her into Shield, perhaps he did just use her but Shield wouldn’t have killed her. Probably. Hopefully.

It didn’t matter- Julian would be looking for her. He would have called within 20 minutes of her text message. She should have just stayed home and packed. But no, she wanted one last milkshake from the ice cream store down the road.

She was pushed along the dark pathway from the plane with a hand firmly in her hair. Really, it was starting to piss her off. They shoved her into a small shack with one light bulb hanging from the ceiling and a metal chair bolted to the ground. It wasn’t lost on her how stereotypical the scene was and if not for the fact that she wasn’t sure if she was going to live to leave the shed, she would have laughed.

They secured her chains to the chair and left her there, turning off the light as they went out the door. Moonlight shone in through the small dirty window. Rosemary listened for signs of life outside. When she found none, she pulled on her chains.

They held fast, tightly secure with very little give. The reality that she was stuck there, trapped with no way out hit her hard. She even had her damned phone- at least she was pretty sure, silent in her jacket pocket. It did her little good with no way to reach it. She could only pray that it connected to some sort of radio tower near by, if it wasn’t shattered from how many times she had been thrown onto hard surfaces. Rabbit was not activated and she had no way to activate it in her current position. Even in the best case, that the phone was still in her jacket pocket, had charge and wasn’t shattered beyond use it wasn’t useful in that moment.

She had no way to help herself. All she could do was sit and wait. If she got lucky, she would see a friendly face who owed her a favor. The odds were slim however- much of her web she wouldn’t know on sight and she was so very far from home.

This was a terrible situation. Rosemary closed her eyes and leaned her head back. Would Steve come for her? Would he miss her? Did he betray her? While she was alone, she may as well think back to happier times as tears gathered in her eyes.

A smile graced her face as she thought back to being a young girl, running through the forest with her brother while the sun glittered off the leaves and grass as if they were emeralds. Their task had been to gather wild food but it meant valuable time out from under their father’s thumb. It was a rare time when they could play and act like children as they ran through the greenery and played in the sun. Still, if they didn’t gather enough food there was a mighty beating that would greet them when they got home with too light pockets.

She thought back to the way Steve looked when when she had first seen him from across the crowded room, the warm lights making his hair look more like warm caramel than gold. Her heart had skipped a beat when he smiled the first time. Butterflies seemed to take up residence in her stomach when he spoke to her, his voice smooth and low. While she felt like a nervous mess with his imposing size, handsome face and hardly hidden muscles yet he seemed to be just as nervous.

Their fist date had been perfection and absolutely nothing she had expected. It had been so perfectly them when at the time there hardly was a ‘them’ that even for those things that went wrong, it was everything she needed it to be. It felt amazing to dance in his arms. It felt amazing to be with him.

She was addicted to him. She couldn’t help but fall for him and fall she did. It happened hard and fast, leaving her terrified yet wanting more every moment. Steve’s kiss seemed to draw new fire to desires that only simmered within her before. He gave her a taste of what being in love could be like, what being desired could be like.

Their easy conversations brought her peace even when she was having to make less than wholesome deals. Never had she feared for someone the way she had feared for him during his mission. It was a deep fear that shook her to her core. Never did she think she could feel that sort of fear in her life.

She may have slept for short spells as she sat in that metal chair, dreaming of what could have been, what had been. Somehow that first night felt impossibly long. Each time her head would jerk and she would wake from the light sleep, it felt like no time had passed at all.

Rosemary sang herself some folk songs from when she was a child, filling the dim and musty space with the sounds of the few happy childhood memories she had. Morning light began to come through the small window and fill the space when morning finally came. She could see how small the room was.

It was just as small as she feared. The floor, though solid, was covered in dirt, grass and straw. Water pooled in places and looking up, she could see the light coming through areas where the tin roof had rusted through. She was thankful it hadn’t rained during the night though if it had she could have possibly gotten a sip of water.

Rosemary was resigned to the fact that she would likely die here. Perhaps they would keep her alive for a few days or a few weeks. Maybe longer. They wanted the information she had access to. They wanted to use her web for their own gains.

She wouldn’t allow them to. The threads of her web reached far and wide. If her contacts fell into the wrong hands she feared for the world. Governments could topple with shifts in the balance of power. Her web would die with her and that would be worth it. Rosemary watched a disturbingly large spider crawl out of the shed as she decided that she’d lived a good life.

If she died now, that was okay. She had done all she had dared to dream of and more. She had seen the world. She’d lived a good life, better than she had dared to hope when she was nothing but a small child cowering under her father’s fists. She had even found and experienced something she never expected, love.

Closing her eyes, she tried to imagine Steve’s touch. She focused on the way his hands felt on her and the way his kiss made her beg for more. She would have given anything just to see his smile one more time. In her head, she played back the sound of his voice when he said he loved her. It didn’t matter to her in that moment if it was true or not, if he had used her or not. What mattered was that she loved him.

The door was chained closed at some point. It must have happened while she dozed in the middle of the night because she had no memory of hearing the rattle of chains. She would have remembered the sound, had she been awake. It was loud as someone outside unlocked the chains and let them fall to the ground.

Slowly, the door came in and someone Rosemary hadn’t expected to see at all walked in holding a tray of absolutely delicious smelling food. Spiced broth spilled a bit as the woman walked in and smiled warmly even as Rosemary’s blood ran cold. Detective Mary O’kelley was the one person she didn’t expect.

“Don’t look so surprised.”

“I’m pretty sure this violates more than a few international laws.” Rosemary put a bright smile on her face. “How’s your dad?”

“He died.”

“I’m terribly sorry to hear that. He was a good man and a good cop. Mostly.”

“He wasn’t willing to do whatever it takes to put down the parasites who would go so low as to kill their own father. You know, we found your mother’s body. I bet you two killed her too.”

“We took no part in their deaths. That wasn’t us. Now come on, you were an honorable cop. Don’t do this. Let me go.”

“Tell me why you killed him?”

“We didn’t!” Rosemary yelled before schooling her emotions again. “We planned on it. We intended to. We would have. But we didn’t. He was already dead when we came home that night. There was so much blood.”

“You were heard talking about slitting his throat. Just admit it and this can all be over.”

“We talked about it, yeah. But we were going to wait till he drank himself to sleep and suffocate him. Why does this matter so much to you? It didn’t matter this much before.”

“Because this murder we can prove. I can prove. But you killed her too. You killed my mother.”

“No one even knows who your mother was. You dad just showed up with a babe. At least that’s what they said.” Rosemary was thoroughly confused. Mary was older than they were but it was well known that her father had just came home one day with a child he called his own.

“Somehow, she loved you two more! Why wasn’t Pap good enough? Why wasn’t I good enough?”

“What are you talking about?”

“She was my mother too!” Mary screamed. “And you killed her! You killed her and then you killed your own father.”

“You’re mother… That’s why?”

Mary threw the bowl of hot broth at Rosemary before throwing the whole tray at her. Bowls clattered around her and rice flew everywhere. She could only watch helplessly as Mary stormed out and the shed door was slammed shut behind her.

Calmly she sat and listened as the chain rattled outside and the door was locked again. Passively, she wondered exactly how Mary- and now she was only Mary and not worth of the title Detective- expected her to try and escape the shed if she was chained to the chair.

When the rattling stopped, Rosemary desperately licked what grains of rice she could reach that had clung to her face. It was hardly more than a few but it was all the food she would have and she wouldn’t waste anything she could get.

Sitting there she watched bugs run around on the ground, eager for the spilled food as she thought. Mary held a personal grudge. She was being blamed for the death of Mary’s mother, someone Rosemary hadn’t ever known. Except it seemed she did know who Mary’s mother was.

Rosemary remembered the night that their mother died clearly. It was one of the few things she could never forget regardless of how hard she tried. Their father yelled and screamed, though such was normal for him. Items were thrown and broken and through it all, Rosemary tried to remember exactly what had triggered that last fight.

 

“You bloody cunt!” The booming voice of their father seemed to rattle the walls. A small girl clung to her brother and together they prayed that he wouldn’t notice them.

“Don’t you yell at me!” The woman with hair the color of fire screamed back, throwing a pot. It was a scene they had seen countless times before and yet somehow, this time it felt fundamentally different in a way they would only understand when it was too late.

“You think you can run around behind my back and hide the money?” The man slapped the woman hard. The blow sent her down onto the dirt floor in a crumpled heap.

“There is no money!” She cried as her fingers dug into the dirt. “I didn’t charge him a coin.”

“You’re nothing but a whore. The world’s cheapest whore apparently!” The man’s leg pulled back and he kicked her hard in the stomach before reaching down and pulling her up by her hair in order to scream in her face again, calling her a useless whore and other vile things the children had all heard before.

“He loves me!” She yelled as she slapped at him. “He said he will take me and the kids in! I just have to ask and I will. I will leave you!”

“Bet that little bitch of his would love having a whore like you to call mum.”

The children watched as their father’s hand clamped around their mother’s throat and squeezed. She clawed at his arms and neck, leaving long angry red lines crossing along his skin. Finally, possibly by luck, she managed to scratch deeply at his eyes as red blood beaded up on his arms. When he let go of her, he shoved her away from him violently. Her body was weak from lack of oxygen or perhaps the adrenaline was why her knees buckled and she fell harshly to the ground. A sickening pop rang out as her foot twisted in a way that the children both knew it most surely should not twist.

She screamed as she crawled away from him but he was on her in nearly an instant. With a fist in her hair, he lifted her off the ground again. Terror was clear in her eyes and fueled her as she kicked out wildly, catching him on the shin repeatedly. When he let go, she fell hard in front of the stone ledge of the fireplace.

He was enraged at her for having the nerve to finally fight back and this time when his hand gripped her hair he didn’t lift her head more than a foot off the ground before he slammed it down. The sound of her skull hitting the stones around the fireplace was sickening. Though Rosemary could clearly hear it in her mind all these years later, she could never begin to put words to that sound. He repeated the action again and again as blood spilled from the side of her head and her nose. Though she had gone limp, he did not stop.

The young girl that had grown into Rosemary clung to the boy who would later choose Julian as the name he would give himself. He held her face into his shoulder and whispered in her ear, trying to drown out the crushing sound of their mother’s bones breaking. Her brother was always her rock and this night like so many others, she clung to him.

They didn’t sleep that night. Instead, they clutched each other as they cowered next to the couch. Rosemary couldn’t look, even if she had tried. Julian held her face lightly in the crook of his neck and one could easily wonder if protecting her from the sight gave him some sense of control over the situation. He would grow into a man who greatly favored being in control.

“You’re mother left. You saw her walk out the door. She didn’t love you.” Their father announced as if that somehow overrode their eyes.

“Yes Papa.” The children both responded dutifully, as if they didn’t see the blood and hair pooled by the hearth.

His eyes however were glued to the mess that had once been their mother’s head. It no longer looked like the face of the woman who would sing them to sleep when their father passed out for the night, kissing the hurts inflicted by the man who should have been protecting them. Their father dragged the lifeless body out into the back garden with a shovel. For the first time in many years, they were allowed peace that night as he buried their mother.

It was the first time in months they had enough time to get some solid sleep through the night. It was a shame neither of them managed to sleep that night or the following night. When Julian did finally sleep, he often woke with nightmares that would force the air from his lungs in a violent scream. Rosemary would do everything she could to muffle it, even if it meant risking holding a pillow over his face. If father was woken up by the noise they would both be beaten.

Within six months their father had brought another woman home. She was tall and her hair lacked the warmth in the color that their mother’s had. It was a cold blonde, frizzy and wild in a way that lacked the grace of their mother’s soft curls. The woman’s face was sharp and angular. There was no kindness or love in her eyes for anyone, let alone the children of another women.

“This is your new Mum.” Their father said as if that was all it took to make it so. The children nodded and agreed, as if he had declared that the sky was blue.

The woman would go on to become one of their greatest abusers. It was her that suggested and encouraged their father to take his greed to greater heights. It was her that told him how much people- terrible horrible people would pay to have time with a young girl to indulge in vile acts.

As the now adult Rosemary sat in the dim shed alone with her thoughts and memories, she wondered what ever happened to that woman who they called ‘mum’ and had never once thought of as a mother. Did the police ever investigate her? Did it even matter? Rosemary didn’t care who did the deed and offed their father but she had dared to dream that they had taken her out as well. It was that woman’s terrible idea to sell off her virginity to the highest bidder. It was her idea to sell Rosemary’s body to men night after night. If the woman had been violently killed, Rosemary would still think it wasn’t enough of a punishment.

Long ago Rosemary had moved on, he was dead and that was all that really mattered to her. He would never harm them again. Their lives were their own now. Their decisions were their own though it had taken Rosemary a very long time to make a choice without Julian’s opinion and approval.

If she was going to die with Steve being the only choice she made on her own, she would indulge in the memories of him. With what little time she had left, she would put side the thoughts about what had passed as a childhood. It was far better to indulge in the fresher memories of far better times. It was better to spend her last hours or days thinking about the taste of Steve’s kiss, how safe she felt in his strong arms and the way his warm hands would touch her.

There wasn’t a better thing she could pick to have as her last thoughts.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

  


Steve paced the room as the screen dominating most of the far wall slowly calculated the location based on satellites and cellphone towers. It was a science he wasn’t ashamed to admit he didn’t fully understand. Still, it was maddening to wait.

Each step echoed through the room. The lights reflected off the polished wood table, glaring at him with each pass. All in all, the scene was just as he would expect the early stages of a mission. He had seen this happen time and time again, been a part of the process over and over yet this time felt fundamentally different.

It was different. This time the person they were seeking to rescue was a face he knew. She was a face he cared greatly for. She was a person he cared deeply for. This time they were searching for the woman he loved. This time it was personal.

The team mulled about, waiting. They had spent much of the night fighting and bickering between the group as to how to proceed and what resources to use. Each had strong opinions on who to trust and the level of effort that should be put into finding her. In the end however it came down to the simple fact that she mattered to Steve therefore she mattered to the team.

Fury had gotten a call in the early morning from the team assigned to the task of watching the detective. It was a typical report. Just as expected, her lights switched on and she movement was observed within the room when morning came. It was well enough to set the Julian at ease.

Where ever the signal from the tracking earrings was coming from, it was weak and suffering from a great deal of interference. The signal bounced around while the Jarvis worked to pinpoint the location. Rabbit worked through the Ramsey web of contacts, mining for any information that could be useful with little success. With the Ramsey funds combined with that of Tony Stark- money became no obstacle and yet Steve found himself stuck in a command room, pacing while he waited.

Behind him, Mark spoke of the history behind the earrings Rosemary wore. She had told Steve they were her favorite but brushed off the reason why. He had known many woman who had a favorite piece of jewelry for any number of vain or sentimental reasons. Turns out the reason she always wore them was that they contained a tracking device and nothing more. They were actually made of common metals and glass gems. It made sense, if they were clearly worth something they would become a target for theft.

The earrings had been created when she had been kidnapped the first time. Steve was dismayed enough to hear that there was a ‘first time’. According to the story as Mark told it, it was that nearly ten years ago when they hadn’t moved around as much. It was the Ramsey twins dominating both the information markets and they arms markets on the local level. They felt secure in their anonymity until Rosemary didn’t come home from a trip to the store.

It took Mark only a few hours to track her down and retrieve her. They had no plans to slow their expansion. The more power they had, the better they could provide for themselves. If they had funds they could move. If they could move around they could be safer. But the more power they had, the more money and influence they had the larger the target they had.

The risk is what made them decide that Rosemary should become a ghost. In time, the Arms deals settled and he could maintain business with minimal risk. However, the information trade was Rosemary’s specialty and there would always be risk.

As she moved around and never again did she get comfortable in a place. It killed Steve to hear that she packed up every few years and took on a new identity. He could only imagine how lonely her life had to have been. Yet, he thought back to when he had first saw her. She had radiated a warmth and kindness not bitter loneliness.

Unfortunately, the device was old. They had gotten careless and complacent in their security measures in some ways. The location tracker was largely left without updates over the last many years. Now they were all paying for the carelessness as the system tries to pinpoint a location of the tracker.

For over an hour they tried to pinpoint a location while Julian and Rabbit worked to comb through the web of information available. The goal was to speed the process along by dividing the task in two and allowing Julian to focus on something the team wouldn’t have been able to help much with.

It seemed like a good idea to Julian until he checked in on their progress to find it minimal at best. The signal seemed to be bouncing between two locations and they could not seem to zero it in to a single point. The idiocy of the men who claimed to protect the world in that moment worried Julian. If this was the sort of error they could make than he and Rosemary should switch professions- providing them with information would clearly be a profitable option.

“There are two bloody trackers.” His words were clipped with frustration and his accent came heavy on each word.

“What?” Steve sighed.

“You didn’t think to mention that?” Tony snapped, realizing that he had wasted the last thirty minutes over nothing.

“I said she had tracker ‘earrings’. Plural. A woman doesn’t typically wear one earring and I don’t know if you’ve noticed but occasionally women lose the damned things.”

“Yeah I’ve stepped on more than one in my day.” Tony grumbled. The pain of finding a lost earring the morning after with his foot was the adult bachelor version of stepping on a Lego and he remembered that pain well. It was never a good way to start the morning after when paired with a hangover.

“Did you find her?” Julian directed them back to the task at hand.

“If there are two of her and each is trying to start a trend by wearing only one earring, then yes.” Steve cringed at Tony’s sass. It wasn’t helping the situation.

“Let’s focus on the task at hand.” Steve cut in as Julian opened his mouth to possibly return the sass. Julian and Tony were two very similar men and trading sass could keep them both busy for far too long. They didn’t have the time to waste. She didn’t have the time for them to be bickering.

“We’ve narrowed the signal down to two fairly solid locations.” Jarvis cut in.

“So, do we split up or do we take the 50% chance of getting it right?” Clint asked.

“We could try to verify her location now that we’ve got two points to look into.” Bucky offered.

“We can do that remotely. We’ll hit this one up in Georgia first. She’s either there or she isn’t.” Julian spoke with a finality as if this team was his to order. They could follow him or not, he didn’t care. All he knew was that he would find her and those who took her would suffer.

“Why?” Sam questioned simply.

“If she isn’t there we’ll have wasted the least amount of time.” Julian answered and that was good enough. The team was satisfied knowing that he had at least thought some of the plan through.

“If we are able to verify her location on the way we’ll change course if needed.” Steve added.

The computers worked as they flew but there was so very little information that could be located. Those who took her were keeping information held tight. Julian could only assume that those who didn’t have their complete and total trust had been killed. Only the dead kept secrets in the end and eventually time would give them the answers they searched for. They didn’t have time to wait for lips to loosen however.

The jet touched down on the ground of an empty field where a familiar old woman sat on a log. Grass and weeds seemed to go on forever around the woman. Her normally neat hair was disheveled and pulled back into a loose braid. In the distance the sun was setting, lighting the horizon with oranges, yellows and reds.

Steve knew her on sight and wasn't sure if he should laugh, scream or bash her with his shield. Each reaction felt correct and justified. Regardless, he had questions for the old woman and she needed to answer them. He was well and truly tired of things being hidden from him and with Rose’s life on the line, Steve had no time to walk in circles.

“Mrs. Jones.” The firmness of his voice left no question regarding what sort of mood he was in.

“You know her?” Bucky came up to Steve's side as he marched toward the old woman, tall and commanding.

“Why are you here?” If this old woman was truly friend or foe, Steve couldn't say. “How are you here, for that matter?”

“I called in some of my few remaining favors. I'm sure with Lord Ramsey around you've been educated on the value of a debt owed.” She struggled to stand and the team watched as Steve made no move to help her. It was uncharacteristic of him in their eyes yet it was clear he wasn't sure if the old woman could be trusted. “I'm here for the same reason as you boy- to try and find the little Lady Spider.”

“And how did you know to look here?” Julian asked. Mrs. Jones held out her hand, resting in her palm was one of the tracking earrings.

“I noticed the signal shortly after she moved in. It and the fake identity, no history and no real income eventually made me realize who she was.” Tony examined the earring as Mrs. Jones spoke. It was small, highly advanced for its age.

“Who are you?” Clint asked the question on most of the team's minds.

“Just an old woman who retired from the game and dreamed for better lives the next generation tending webs.”

“That's all you'll get out of her.” Julian was resigned to the lack of information. “She's one of us, giving her information is just as risky now as it was before she retired.”

“And how many of you are there?” Tony asked, annoyed at the existence of what amounted to a freelance spy network.

“Many but less then there were in my day. Few large players and none as large as the Little Spider.” Mrs. Jones answered. “Steve, you need to find her. I came here, though I was sure I couldn't save her, because I wanted to talk to you without the veil of secrecy if I could. I knew she likely wouldn't be here but that you would probably check here first.”

“I'm listening.”

“You know now. She has no more reason to hide from you. Do not judge her for who she is, what she has done or who she had to become. You love her and she, you. I gave up the idea of love for my own protection. Now all I have as an old woman is a girl I love as a daughter who I know damn well will disappear before I know it. I don't want that for her. Keep your mind and heart open and bring her back.”

* * *

They were hesitant to leave the old woman alone in the field. But after she had provided them what little information she had, she insisted. Mrs. Jones- if that was indeed her name or not they didn’t know and likely never would know- was fully aware that with her age she would be a liability. They didn’t need her slowing them down.

After looking at the marks left from an aircraft taking off, the team returned to the jet and took off. Mrs. Jones said she would be fine. She has a few favors to call in still but Tony sent for a car for her just the same. That was well enough for Mrs. Jones. The more favors she could save for a rainy day the better.

Once in the air they could do little more than wait as the two AI programs mined for any additional information. Julian eyed the large blonde man that somehow captured his sister’s heart. It shouldn’t have surprised him when his sister finally wished to give her heart away. Yet he hadn’t been prepared for it in the slightest.

Steve was pacing the relatively small space of the jet, clearly full of anxious energy and without a way to channel it. The lights overhead were dim yet no less harsh, casting sharp shadows over the space and everyone in it.

It wasn’t lost on Julian in the slightest that these people didn’t have to help him. True, he could attempt to blackmail them. He could break into their databases, their systems and expose information to try and strong arm them into assisting but to do so would go against Rosemary’s wishes.

It was something she held very dear all her life, to cause as little damage as possible in the world. She worked tirelessly to balance that value with the damage they had to cause, with the lives they had sometimes had a hand in destroying. It was so important to her not to let the darkness of their profession rule their lives.

Steve was tall and noble. He was proud and strong. It was clear to any who saw him- or at least how he was portrayed in the media that he was all that she clung to in life. He was all that was good. At least, that was how it looked on the outside looking in.

Sitting here, in the dimly lit jet a different side of Steve was observed by Julian. This side of the man was cunning and sharp. He was fierce and loyal, even to those who perhaps didn’t deserve the loyalty like Rosemary.

She had lied to him, hidden herself from him yet he knew enough about her that he was fully prepared to go to war to bring her back. Perhaps it was a trick of the harsh yet dim lights but there was a darkness to Steve’s demeanor that hinted at something much more turbulent under the surface.

Julian wondered to what extent Steve would go to bring Rosemary back. Would he kill to save her? He had no reason to, not really. All he had was trust in that what she had shared with him, though hidden in half truths was true just the same.

“Do you truly love her?” Julian asked his question before he could think better of it, before he could talk himself out of it.

Rosemary wasn’t a girl anymore. Neither of them were children any longer and perhaps in his attempts to protect the only family he had left, he isolated her from finding a life of her own. She enjoyed the work they did, she enjoyed tending to her web and having access to the worlds secrets. It made her feel secure to be the one trusted with so much information and yet so rarely have to give anything of herself.

Julian had to wonder if he had ever asked her if she liked their work more than the life she could have had. Would she continue her work if she found a man, a love that gave her the same security. Steve was a man who could protect her like no other man could. Still, being with Captain America himself would put a new target on her back. Regardless, she would never be without people taking aim at her.

In a way, they were a perfect match. It was as if the universe was playing a cruel joke on them. What other woman would be able to handle the reality of the life Steve lived? Julian supposed that any of the many agents Steve worked with could. Still for Rosemary, Julian couldn’t fathom another man being willing to accept her for who and what she was.

For Steve’s part, the question stopped his pacing nearly mid-stride. For all the half truths she had told him, for all her secrets he expected to see their relationship in a different light. Yet even now as he looked back at what they had, it was her warmth that stuck out in his mind. It felt like home and now, standing in a jet on his way to face an unknown threat with rage deep in his chest he knew.

He was this angry because he loved her. She was already his home. In a very short time- perhaps too short for sanity, she had become his home. That void he had been trying to ignore, the emptiness that was present from the moment he woke from the ice and realized his family and home were long gone was finally gone. He tried to fill it with work but he was looking for her all along.

All eyes were on him as he contemplated his answer. True, he made it clear to her that he was falling hard and fast but somehow, admitting it now to her brother was different. She wasn’t there.

“Yes.” There was strength in his voice. It was the same strength Julian had heard as he issued orders and spoke of how he would find her. “I love her.”

“Okay.” Julian nodded firmly. “We get her back in one piece and I will not stand in your way after.”

“If she even still wants.” Steve mumbled the words as he ran his hands down his face. Now wasn’t the time for hart to hearts. Now was the time for action. Every fiber in his being was crying out for the coming fight. He felt no less then like a caged tiger.

“She will.” Julian let his head fall back, connecting with the wall with a solid thunk. “She will.”

“She blames me for Shield finding her.”

“She was angry and you make the most sense. Hell, you still make the most sense.”

“It wasn’t me. Fury had a woman, a detective from Ireland with him.”

“Mary.” Julian sighed, annoyed. That woman had long been a reoccurring thorn in their sides. She was very dedicated to keeping track of them and seemed to have a talent for finding them. More often than not when they had to move it was because she found them.

“You know her?”

“She’s been a pain in the ass for a while yet.” Julian shrugged. “Once Rosemary calms down and thinks she’ll know it was Mary. If you talk to her, she will listen.”

“She wasn’t listening before when-”

“She was angry and scared. She was hurt. The primary thing on her mind would have been getting to somewhere safe so she could regroup.”

“We’ll see when we get her back.”

“You’ll see that I’m right.” Julian pressed. There was no one in the world that knew Rosemary like he did.  



	17. Chapter 17

 

Rosemary sat silently in the small shed. Her back and ass ached from the metal chair and the lack of movement combined. Boredom caused her to count the holes in the tin roof and cracks in the plank boards that made up the walls and ceiling. It took everything she had to resist the urge to bounce her leg and wiggle around in the chair.

It would do her no good to burn energy unnecessarily. She was hungry. She was tired. More than anything however she was thirsty. For a time, it rained and she caught what drops she could manage while in her position. It was better than nothing.

If they intended to give her water, she didn’t know. What she did know was that a human could typically live without water for approximately three to four days. She also knew that she hadn’t drank a lot of water before her day was further sidetracked by this whole kidnapping incident. Any chance she had to drink something, even if it was just a few drops of rainwater she would take.

It was tempting to give into the urge to let her metal state deteriorate. She went over the facts of her situation as she sat in the silence. Every time someone came close, she listened. Every sound was a clue as to where she was. It was better than giving into panic. At least she told herself that as she watched the light grow dim outside through the holes in the shed.

She hoped it was another rainstorm coming in. Rain and wind would serve her well. She looked forward to a few sips of rain water. If she got lucky and the storm truly poured down on her, she could even get a few solid mouthfuls. At least she hoped as much. It was either rain or nightfall.

The chain outside rattled and her eyes went to the door. She could hear the muffled voices of those outside. Mary was outside, Rosemary could tell that much by the sound of her voice but the words were unclear. When the door opened she was met with a quick glimpse of the sky lit by sunset.

“Unchain her- we’ve got to go. Be quick about it but keep four two hands on her at all times.” Mary was quick to go about issuing orders.

“What’s up, sis?” Rosemary forced a smile to her face as the men set to work unbinding her. “Do I get the grand tour now? A family dinner maybe?”

The questions were ignored but Rosemary had expected that. She watched as Mary cringed at being called ‘sis’ and the insinuation that they were family. It was Mary herself that planted the idea in her head.

With a hash pull of the chains, the men pulled Rosemary to her feet. Her knees nearly gave out after sitting so long. Her hips and knees both felt stiff from the lack of movement.

“We’ve got to hurry.” Mary urged as they stepped out of the shed.

The air was cooler outside and in the distance Rosemary could hear the calls of birds. She took a moment to look around at the dense forest. A man was dousing the larger hut with fuel of some sort and Mary yelled when he struck a match. Fire engulfed everything covered in the fuel and spread quickly.

“You bloody idiots!” Mary yelled as she threw a dirty blanket onto the fire in a failed attempt to stop it’s spread. “They’ll find us for sure from the smoke alone!”

Mary was so focused on attempting to put out the fire that she didn’t notice the man who stepped back. He was thin and with a wirey build. The two guards wrapped her chains around a poll and left her stranded to help put out the fire, quickly moving to do May instructed. Her voice was frantic.

“You said ‘destroy evidence’- fire destroy?” The man who had lit the blaze defended himself as Mary screamed at him. Finally he was ordered to watch the prisoner and seemed oddly happy about it.

Rosemary watched as he walked up to her, careful to keep his head down. It was clear he was avoiding drawing any more attention to himself than he already had. Carefully, he unwound the chains from the poll. Unlike when the other guards handled the chains, this man was careful not to rattle them, muffling the sound as best he could.

“Come, Lady Spider.” The man ordered and Rosemary did as directed.

They walked in silence, slowly creeping back out of yard of the home. Behind them, the fire was slowly spreading and Rosemary was sure it was only a matter of time before they realized she was missing. That was, if she was actually missing and not still within their care. To assume this man was saving her, setting her free could be a fatal mistake.

“Here.” He pulled a flask from his pocket and tipped it against her lips. Water rather than the rice alcohol often favored by the locals in these sorts of locations filled her mouth. She greedily gulped down the water until he pulled the flask away.

“Thank you.”

“Much welcome.” The man spoke as he knelt down, examining the chains and shackles around her ankles. The chain was too long to run with and with only one shoe, she was likely to trip or roll her ankle running over it. “We must be quick.”

“Who are you?” Rosemary asked as she watched him drape the chain over a rock with a pointed end. Her foot was wedged up against the stone and part of her wondered if this would be how her ankle would finally be broken.

“No matter.” He picked up a large rock and slammed it down on the chain with all the strength he could muster with those two thin arms. It wasn’t enough and he tried again. “Passed message for you once.” He said between swings. “You pay well. Both in money and in arranging my daughter to go to school.”

So this was the man? Rosemary only recently reached out to him. He had been the most convenient to pass her note on to the Avengers in their safe house. He was the only one she had arranged schooling for recently at least. That at least gave her an idea as to where she was. They had to be near enough to his village for him to be here.

“Find them!” Mary’s voice cut through the trees, far too close for comfort though still out of sight. Smoke was starting to rise up in a thicker cloud in the sky, calling attention to the place she had been kept. “Find them and kill them.”

“Yeah, we got no time for this.” Rosemary grabbed up the chains as best she could and looked around. “Come on!”

She didn’t wait to make sure he was following as she took off down an animal trail. It wasn’t the largest trail she had spotted nor was it one of the most well defined trails. It wasn’t even leading them the farthest away from those hunting them.

“We must get away.” The man hissed behind her.

“They are going to expect that. The won’t look close by well or long.” Rosemary countered, nearly tripping over a root when she looked over her shoulder.

The guards moving through the woods created a lot of noise for which she was beyond thankful for. It worked well to cover some of the sound of the chains rattling around her limbs as she ran. They were few in numbers and at one point Rosemary nearly ran across the path of a guard as her small animal trail crossed a much larger path. Hiding behind a tree with breathes held, they waiting for him to move passed them while praying that he didn’t look around.

It was perhaps 15 minutes after they began running that they came across a small clearing. Rosemary’s limbs ached from the effort of carrying the chains combined with dehydration. She felt little choice but to stop and catch her breath.

“Fuck. No, no. Shit.” Rosemary felt panic swell within her as the trees on the far side of the small clearing began to rustle. “Bloody hell.”

 

The jet landed in the closest clearing they could find. It wasn’t close enough in either Julian’s or Steve’s opinion but their complaining was quickly silenced by a stern look from the woman piloting the plane.

It would be at least a solid few hours hike to the location shown by the remaining earring to yet be recovered. Steve wished he had some way to know that it wasn’t just another lost earring, abandoned and forgotten in the dirt. The location hadn’t changed at all and it either meant that the earring was lost or that Rosemary was being kept in singular location.

Satellite images were able to at least give them an idea as to what to expect. The house was small and a few small outbuildings littered the property. Activity on the lot appeared to be minimal however they each knew how easy it was to hide such things.

He should have been thankful for what information they had as they made their way through the dense jungle that was all too familiar. A moving target is much harder to recover. Yet if the target was moving he would have felt reassured by the changing location. Lost earrings don’t move.

“We’ll find her.” Bucky softly spoke as they moved side by side through the thick growth. Julian was toward the center of the group, not used to traversing such conditions though making every effort not to slow them down.

Mosquitoes buzzed around them as they worked their way toward the still unchanged location. The sweltering heat drew a sweat to their skin and each had to be mindful to stop and drink. To be weakened by dehydration wouldn’t do any of them any good. The closer they got, the more zoomed the map on the handheld device provided by Tony got.

They had been walking for just over two hours and drawing closer to the point on the map at a slow yet steady pace when it happened. The point moved, it was not a great distance really but Steve felt a wave of reassurance roll through him. The point moved by maybe twenty feet, if that but it had moved.

“You think they know we are coming?” Clint voiced the worry on all their minds.

“They shouldn’t.” Steve answered.

“You had to be saved once because of a leak in your organization- are you really so sure of that?” Julian came up closer behind Steve.

“He’s got a point.” Natasha agreed. “We have to go in expecting the worst.”

It was perhaps only another fifteen minutes of walking when they saw the smoke start to trail up into the sky. It was little at first, perhaps what a fireplace would put off when burning wood that hadn’t been seasoned long enough or at all.

Then the target location moved. Their pace picked up as the smoke grew denser in the sky. The target first moved north, away from them before slowly circling back around the central location in a way that made no sense.

“What are they doing? They moving her?” Bucky was more talking to himself rather than asking the team yet Julian answered.

“She got out free.”

“How can you tell that?” Tony asked. “Wouldn’t she be running away?”

“That’s what you expected. That’s what they would expect too. Stay close, change directions and slip out behind the search net.”

“So we just need to meet up with her, easy.” Sam’s energy was renewed at the prospect of finally getting to the action.

“If they’ve realized we are coming it could be a decoy.” Natasha added.

“So we split up?” Clint offered with a nod. “Some of us go after the cell, some of us go after the tracker- hopefully Rose and get her to safety. Once she’s secure on the jet, go back and assist if needed.”

Natasha sent Julian back to the plane though he didn’t go willingly. It took much convincing and finally some threatening to make him agree to go. The simple fact was that Julian wasn’t an agent, he had no formal training in the field nor were they in a position to risk anything going wrong. It was for Rosemary’s safety.

It was decided that Steve and Bucky would go after the tracker location. She was unlikely to trust any of the others if they showed up. In all honesty, Steve wasn’t sure if she would even trust him. If need be, he would throw her over his shoulder and force her to go with him. She could be pissed off about it later.

With what little of a plan they had agreed upon by most parties present, they separated and pushed forward. The tracker had stopped moving shortly after and while Steve had expected to meet her about now, it looked like it would be another ten minutes before their location met with hers. He couldn’t blame her for stopping to rest, god only knew what sort of condition she was in. And he did pray she was resting and not recaptured.

When they stumbled into the clearing it was with no warning. The forest simply seemed to open up and spit them out only for Steve to be met with a fairly good sized branch flying through the air only to land very much uselessly against his head. It happens so quickly that it could have been mistaken for a falling branch if not for the voice that followed as he took another step into the clearing, prepared to battle the branch thrower.

“Fucking hell, Steve?!”

“Rose?”

Steve watched as she started laughing as she dropped the chains. As Bucky came into the clearing next to him, her knees buckled and she it the ground with a thud while still laughing. It occurred to Steve as he rushed to her side that she could very well have suffered damage to her brain.

Quickly, Rosemary pulled herself together as Steve came to a halt, dropping to his knee in front of her. If he should reach out for her or not, he didn’t know. Was she still angry at him? Did she blame him? She had after all thrown a fairly large stick at him though he wasn’t sure she realized it was him at the time.

She didn’t give him much time to doubt however. Relief flooded through her as she took him in. Kneeling in front of her in his suit, he looked so different but she knew his eyes. She knew his jaw and his mouth. She knew his voice.

Glancing over his shoulder, she saw a tall man who seemed to radiate darkness watching her. His long dark hair was pushed back and he had a severe look on his face. Danger radiated off of him yet she knew him to be Steve’s best friend, though putting the man in Steve’s stories together with the man she had read about was difficult.

Directing her attention back to Steve, she watched as he pulled the helmet off his head. In so many ways he looked different, more fierce and every bit the soldier. As soon as his messy blonde hair was revealed she launched herself into his chest.

Steve wrapped his arms around her and breathed her in. She was safe. She was in one piece. She was in his arms, right where she belonged. He wasn’t ready when she pulled back.

“Do you have a phone? A com? Radio or something? I need to get a hold of my brother...”

“He’s on the jet- here.” Steve took his com out of his ear and held it to hers. With his acute hearing he would still be able to make out the conversation.

“We’ve got her.” Bucky spoke into the com line.

“Rosemary?” Julian’s voice filled her ear.

“Julian we have a problem.” She directed her full focus to her brother, seeming to disregard the team sharing in the conversation.

“I’ve had enough problems this week, thank you.” Julian laughed, seemingly at ease.

“Yeah, you and me both.” She laughed and Steve was amazed. “Our sister is a shitty host it seems.”

“Our what?”

“Long story, no time.” She waved it away as if he could see her. “She’s obsessed with us and off her rocker. She needs to not be able to move.”

“I’ll get her on every no-fly list. You’re boyfriend’s friends are on their way to the house.”

“If she slips away that will slow her down.” Rosemary ignored the boyfriend comment. “See you soon, J.”

Rosemary handed the com back to Steve and looked down at her shackled hands. There were no more secretes. There was nothing left to hide. He would probably know everything now and surely he didn’t want her anymore.

“Thank you, She whispered. “for coming for me. You didn’t have to.”

“Yeah I did.” Steve wrapped her back up in his arms and held her tight.

“You’re brother hacked Stark Tower.” Bucky knelt down next to them. “He made a pretty convincing case.”

“He didn’t have to convince me.” Steve shifted his position from kneeling to sitting on the ground, pulling her into his lap. “All he had to do was say you were missing. I’m sorry I took so long to find you.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I told you I would protect you then right after I failed to keep you safe.” Rustling trees behind her drew Rosemary’s eyes from Steve. The sound of shouting could be heard in the distance. A moment later gunfire was heard.

“We’ve got to get her out of here.” Bucky reached down, grabbing one of the chains connected to an ankle as he spoke. With one hand nearly against her skin, he pulled and slowly one of the chain links gave out.

The clattering of the chain drew them both back to reality. Steve knew they needed to get moving. They needed to get her back to the jet. As they freed her limbs from the chains, Rosemary looked for the man who had possibly saved her life. He had already run off however and she prayed that he would survive the night. If not, she would be sure his family never wanted for anything.

Through the coms in their ears, the men largely ignored the sound of the battle. Their teammates had reached and engaged the guards. As expected, their were more guards than they had reason to believe based on surveillance. What they hadn’t expected was Julian’s voice coming through.

“There are people coming. With large guns. Tell me you are close.”

“We’ll be there as soon as we can. Can you hold them off?” Steve asked, pulling Rosemary to her feet as he stood.

“What’s going on?” She demanded only for Bucky to answer.

“Ramsey is at the Jet- it appears to be under attack. We’ve got to go.”

“Tell him to take off with it.” Rosemary ordered.

“We need it to get you out of here.”

“We can figure something out.” She looked around, trying to calculate who owed her what favors big enough to get her out of this mess. “Julian- get the jet off the ground!” She yelled.

“Got it.” He spoke into the men’s ears and they listened as the engines started up. Regardless of their thoughts or opinions, it seemed he was going to do as Rosemary said.

“Kill her!” The voice carried through the small clearing as a guard burst through the treeline.

“Time to go.” Rosemary glanced back at the man with a very large gun before taking off into the trees.

“I’ll get them off your tail. Get her out of here and we’ll meet up later.” Bucky stepped closer to the guard.

With a nod of understanding, Steve took off after her. Through the gaps in the trees, they could see the jet as it climbed higher into the sky. It was clear that his planned method of removing her from the dangerous situation was leaving without her.


	18. Chapter 18

 

Steve urged Rosemary on, keeping himself and the shield on his back between her and the men chasing them. Branches crunched under his boots. Each snap of a twig made me cringe, knowing her feet had been without shoes while she had ran. Gunfire bounced off the shield as he pushed it up higher on his back, protecting his head.

“Left.” He urged as the small path branched in two even smaller paths.

As she disappeared around the bend he turned while somehow not tripping over his own feet while snagging his shield off his back and with a strong flick of his arm, he sent it flying. It took out the two men closest to him and was left lodged in the ground. Steve made quick work of running forward, he snagged the shield up and took off down the path, turning right where he had told Rose to go left. He knew they saw him and that’s all he needed.

He ran a short distance down the trail before launching himself through a break in the trees. Following a small rabbit trail, he tried to move as quickly and silently through the forest as he could. If all went according to plan he would have thrown the guards off their trail and would meet up with Rose shortly.

When he burst threw the tree in front of Rose, she nearly screamed. Without the threat of being shot from behind, Steve allowed them a short moment for Rosemary to catch her breath. She was gulping air and her legs felt like rubber. Blood mixed with dirt from the cuts on her foot. She was in no condition to keep running, that was clear to Steve though she didn’t so much as even complain.

“Get on.” Steve took his shield off his back and knelt down in front of her, offering her his back.

“You don’t have to carry me.” She protested even as he felt her hands settle on his shoulders.

“You’re tired, dehydrated and weak. We’ll cover ground faster.” Rosemary knew he was right even though she didn’t want to admit it.

Surviving was far more important than her pride. She didn’t protest. Instead she stepped closer to his back and wrapped her arms around his neck. His arms reached back behind him, strong hands wrapping around her thighs. As he stood, he pulled her legs up and around his waist. Stepping on the edge of his shield, he let go of one of her legs and grabbed it.

“There’s a strap right here.” Steve took one of her hands from him and wrapped her fingers around the strap. “Hold it behind you, over your back. It’s big enough to cover most of you but if anyone starts shooting at us cover your head.”

“What about you?” She whispered.

“You’ll be protecting me with it too. And if I’m hit it won’t do as much damage to me. I’ve got gear, you don’t.”

“Okay.” The sound of her voice cut through him like a knife. It was thin and brittle, giving away the fear and pain. When he looked at her, as they had ran together up until this point she seemed largely fearless. She was strong. She was fearless, it had seemed. But the simple truth was that she was afraid. He could hear it in her voice.

Steve started moving and with her held securely to his back, he ran. She was amazed at how damn fast he could run. It was beyond true that she had been holding them back, that much was clear as day. Her ride on his back was smooth in a way that made no sense to her. It was as if he was designed to run, born for it. As they made their way through the dense forest, she watched as the sky grew darker and darker. Clouds were moving in front of the moon.

She rested her head down against his shoulder as her body relaxed. He ran with her on his back for what felt like hours before the forest grew thinner and they came upon a village. Few buildings were modern but Rosemary perked up, looking for any sign of a building that would likely hold modern technology.

“There.” She pointed over his shoulder at a building. It was one of the only buildings with glass in the windows. Structurally it was more sound than many of the other buildings.

“Why there?” Steve asked but still made a direct path toward the building.

Rosemary slipped off his back as they looked around. There was no sign of the guards chasing them at the moment at least. Still, that was not likely to last long at all. The sooner they were out of sight the better. She was fairly sure that Mary would care more about catching and killing her than taking out any of the Avengers.

“The door’s locked.” Steve stated when the handle didn’t turn under his hand.

Rosemary kicked at the ground a few times. She hoped for wire but found nothing but twigs and dirt. With a sigh, she eyed the knife at his side as he pulled it out. He positioned it in the doorjamb with the intention of breaking in.

“Give that here.” She reached for the blade only to have Steve move it from her.

“Don’t grab at a knife like that. That’s a great way to get cut.” Her eyes were wide at his stern words and he quickly softened them with a small smile. The blade flipped in his hand and he presented it to her hilt first.

“Sorry.” She mumbled. This wasn’t the type of thing she was used to. Running through the woods, running for her life- that wasn’t her life. Sneaking into locked rooms however? She was out of practice but still, it was something she had been good at. At least, she had been at one point.

Nudging the tip of the blade into the old lock she prayed that it was both old and cheap. The blade was thicker and wider at the tip then she would have liked but with some luck…

She forced it to the side and she could just hear the metal inside the lock snap. It wasn’t enough however and the door remained locked.

“Just twist it?” Steve asked as he wrapped his hands around hers over the hilt.

“Yeah. The idea is to force it. Assuming it’s cheap enough, it will give without looking broken without looking like it.” Rosemary slipped her hands out from under his.

With a firm grip he twisted and she could hear the internal mechanisms in the lock break apart. A twist of the knob and a push against the door had it opened with minimal visual damage left behind. Rosemary slipped in to the room with Steve right behind her. The door was closed tightly behind them and he pushed a file cabinet in front of it. The windows didn’t have coverings and what little light was available outside spilled into the room. Rosemary reached for the lights but Steve grabbed her hand in his.

“No.” His voice was firm but low. “We don’t want to make it obvious where we are.”

“Right, Okay. We’ve got to find a phone.”

“Even if we did- I’m not sure how much good it would do us.” Still, Steve moved around the space, looking for a phone.

“It would do us all the good in the world.” Rosemary absently commented as she looked as well, finally feeling her feet under her.

“Over here is a headset. Looks like the computer is wired into the internet. Why don’t they have any regular phones?”

“Good.” Rosemary ducked down when a light passed by the window. “Get the monitor on the ground and turned on if you can.” Her voice was little more than a whisper. “And because Internet phones are typically more reliable in remote areas.”

Couching behind a desk with the screen shoved under, Rose quickly turned the brightness of the monitor as far down as it would go. Without a thought to Steve’s presence next to her, she reached into her bra and pulled out the drive he had spotted on her desk seemingly a lifetime ago.

“I didn’t expect you to have that, to be honest.”

“Always expect the unexpected.” Rosemary plugged it in and Steve watched over her shoulder as a black rabbit came to life on the screen. A black text box appeared with a string of text in a language Steve wasn’t familiar with. It didn’t phase Rosemary in the slightest however and she quickly typed in commands. “I need to make a call.”

“A call?” The look she gave him reminded him that there was so much more to her than he was aware of. “Right, okay.”

While he was busy moving the computer and making sure the cords wouldn’t be unplugged, Rosemary pulled up a map. He set the headset next to her and for a moment they sat still and silent as someone ran by the door.

“You should go help the others.” Rosemary whispered as she set up the headset.

“I’m not leaving you until you’re safe.” It surprised him when Rosemary rolled her eyes. Truthfully, it hurt to be brushed off like that. Reaching out, he grabbed her shoulder and turned her to face him. Now wasn’t the time, he knew that. Yet it couldn’t wait any longer. “I could have lost you. You could have died.”

“Does that matter? Really? I’m not who I told you I was.” Rosemary snapped, voice growing a bit louder before she quickly schooled it. “We’ll get out of here and I’ll be out of your hair.”

“I don’t want you out of my hair.” Steve gave her shoulders a sharp shake when she tried to look away. “I didn’t come here to stop them. I didn’t come to fight them. I don’t give a damn about them right now. I came to find you and bring you home.”

“I-”

“It doesn’t matter. You didn’t lie or betray me. You saved our lives with that warning. My life.”

It was awkward and slightly clumsy when he pulled her toward him, gathering her in his chest. Everything she touched was firm and rigid. The suit seemed to make him all the more intimidating, cloaking the soft of his skin with rough fabrics and hard plates. When his fingers rested under her chin, drawing her face up to look at him she couldn’t feel much of the warmth of his hand through his glove yet she could remember it.

Leaning down, he kissed her before she could even comprehend what he was doing. His face was scruffy and unshaven but it felt good. It felt real and while she knew it wasn’t the time for this, she melted into him. Tears welled in her eyes as her arms slowly braved wrapping around his neck.

She didn’t know up from down in that moment, she didn’t know if he had turned her information over to Shield. What she did know was far more important than that. He truly cared for her. Regardless of what he may have done, he cared. And she loved him. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she crumbled apart in his arms. Just half a day before she had come to terms with the fact that she would likely die without ever seeing him again and now she was wrapped in his arms.

She could afford to fall apart for a moment, cry into his neck when their lips pulled apart. Strong arms held her firmly in place, fingers digging lightly into her sides as if he feared she would slip away into the night. With a shuddering breath, she pulled herself together and pulled away, wiping the tears from her face. It wouldn’t do for the Lady Spider to be seen showing such weakness.

“We should focus on getting you out of here.” With such a simple statement from Steve, their moment was ended. Rosemary still was unsure as to what the future will hold for her but at least she had some sort of hope that made it that much easier to focus on the task at hand.

With the headset on, she listened as the line filled with static before connecting. A video feed opened up curtesy of Rabbit and she scoffed. A webcam in a government building- how trusting. Clearly their security needed work and for that, she was thankful for it.

“Yo!” She waited and a man in the distance looked around on the video feed.

Good, the computer she gained access to had a speaker as well. The man looked around before coming closer to the computer when she called for him again. In Spanish, she requested General Mass. His name was one she had always found amusing and he was as close to a friend she had.

“You’re sure you can trust them?” Steve asked, drawing her attention to him.

“Of course. I wouldn’t call someone I didn’t trust.” She didn’t point out that calling it ‘trust’ was probably a bit of a stretch. If she wanted, she could end Mass’s career by revealing the things she had done for him to his own government though to do so would make her terribly sad.

“Little Spider- Good to know you still live. However I’ve not got need of you.”

“How do you know you can trust him?” Steve spoke over the man on the screen.

“And with Captain America no less. That is surprising. What brings you into his company I wonder?”

“Not your problem, Mass. You owe a debt, I’ve called to collect.”

In an instant, the man on the screen’s whole being shifted. The easy nature was gone. His shoulders squared and he stood just a bit straighter. “What do you need?”

“Passage out of Venezuela as of yesterday.”

“Please.” Steve added under his breath only to smile when Rosemary rolled her eyes at him. Mass eyed their interactions carefully.

“Where exactly are you?”

Rosemary allowed Steve to take over as she relaxed against the side of the desk. She was bone tired, thirsty and starving. Still, she hadn’t more than a general idea how long she had been gone for. In all honesty she’d probably be willing to kill a man for a snack bar and a bottle of water.

As they made their way out of the village, Steve’s com came to life in his ear with a flurry of static. Much of Mary’s team had been captured or eliminated. Still, the mastermind herself was running free. Rosemary tried to convince him that the immediate threat was gone but he was set not to let her out of his sight until she was back in the United States.

 

“How do you have connections in the Paraguan government?” Steve asked as they put more distance between them and the village. They had about 90 minutes before the helicopter would touch down to pick them up and five miles to travel until they reached the clearing. Stark was arranging for a Quinjet to collect the rest of the team once the situation on the ground was cleaned up but made it clear Steve wouldn’t be needed.

“They needed a favor. I helped them out. I needed something, they helped me out. That’s how it works.” Rosemary answered as if it was simple and Steve had to admit, with how she had put it- it was simple. Still it was clear that her answer left much to be desired.

“General Mass’s wife had cancer. The treatment she needed was- is experimental. Nothing they had tried until then worked. The government wouldn’t allow her to try it. She wasn’t stable enough to leave the country even if they could afford it.”

“So he asked you for help?” Rosemary looked to Steve with a small smile. It was rare that favors lined up that simply for her.

“No, but it was a matter of situations lining up that allowed me to offer a favor to a man who had proven himself to be worthy of trust.” It felt good to speak openly about her life for once. Rosemary wondered if this was how things could stay.

“Things just happened to line up for you to save his wife’s life? Just like that?” Steve was fascinated with her tale. Hearing from the team what she had done for a living, he honestly hadn’t expected to hear about her doing good with it.

He thought back to the words Mrs. Jones had said only a few days prior. She had advised him to not shut Rose out just because of what she did to make her way in the world. There was more to the story of Rose Ramsey than he knew, so much more. But perhaps it was as she said, things were not strictly black and white. Since coming out of the ice, Steve’s world seemed to be colored with many more shades of gray.

“The company with the treatment- they needed a loan to make it through the FDA pre-approval processes. I gave them the money in exchange for them sending the treatment.”

“How’d you get it into the country?” Steve was engrossed in the story, often having to remind himself to take his attention from Rose to check their surroundings. It reminded him of old spy novels.

“One of the boarder agents- they don’t get paid a lot but his daughter was wanting to be a doctor. I gave them a trust fund. His partner however was harder to buy- he wanted a promotion. I don’t normally like to get involved in lower level power plays. But it was easy enough to bribe his commander to move him up a rank. They looked the other way while the treatment was brought in.” Steve opened his mouth but she kept talking, answering his questions before he could ask them.

“The doctor was easier- to be honest. He was a well known doctor, one of the best in the country and wanted to know if his wife was having an affair. That information I had already had in my pocket for a few months. Her Lover traded it wanting to know if she was really planning on leaving her husband for him.”

“And just like that, you saved General Mass’s wife?”

“Just like that.” Rosemary shrugged. “I keep doctor’s in my pocket most everywhere- they are useful. Sometimes more so than government officials. After this- Mass will no longer owe me and when it comes to him I’ll have to rely on good will if I need his assistance again before he needs mine.”

 

They made good time reaching the clearing. In some ways it felt almost like any other night walk for Rosemary. That idea was shattered whenever she looked at Steve and saw him not wearing a simple pair of jeans, button down or tee shirt. Just hearing his laugh, his voice and feeling him near had set her at ease.

She would glance back at him and for a moment she could see the hard look on his face until he noticed her eyes were on him. Every time he noticed her looking the stone would melt from his face and the warmth that was the Steve she had known would surface. Rosemary wondered which Steve was the real one?

Perhaps he wondered the same of her. She knew that it surprised him, shocked him when she took control in the office. It was written on his face as she directed him to help her get what she needed. It wasn’t the way he had seen her before. It honestly wasn’t a way she liked to act.

“You don’t have to hide it from me.” Steve captured her hand in his when she spoke, not looking back at him.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

“You’re worried.”

“I didn’t want to worry you. But yeah- Mary is still on the run and until she’s captured you’ll still be her target.” Rosemary nodded and silence gathered around them for a moment.

“Steve?” She whispered. “What’s going to happen to me? To Julian? We’ve got arrest warrants, plenty of people who would wish to see us in jail or dead for the things we’ve done.”

“I won’t let that happen.” She turned to look at him, tears were in her eyes. For the first time, Rosemary actually looked truly scared. He had seen fear in her back in the office but most of what he had noticed was her relief at being safe, at having him with her at the time. Steve worked his hands out of his gloves and tucked them into his belt.

“I can’t ask you to protect us. To protect me.” He stepped up toward her and it was so mind boggling, he looked so much like her Steve.

“But I will. Because I love you.” It was the first time he had truly said it to her since she had slammed the door in his face in what felt like a whole different life. He meant it now as much as he did the morning of that fateful day.

His hands settled on her arms and he pulled her toward him as the helicopter approached in the distance. Steve kept talking, not pressuring her to say the words back, unsure if she was ready to believe him again. He hadn’t intended to even tell her the truth of the depth of his feelings for her yet. The simple words though having been said before seemed to hold so much more weight now, with no secretes hiding in closets. How could the same three words mean so much more now? He thought he meant it then but now he felt it so much more. He’d almost lost her.

“A lot of the team has had warrants out for them at some point. Hell, I was a fugitive for a bit myself.” She sniffled and shifted in his arms, wiping tears away. “You can have a clean start. You can have it if you want it.”

“And if I don’t? I lose you?” The words were mumbled into his chest as she snaked her arms around his back. An ultimatum was one of the things she feared when it came to letting him know her secrets.

“No. No matter what you decide- we try this out if its what you still want.”

“How would that even work?” As he nuzzled into the top of her head, she could feel his warm breath.

“We’d figure something out.”

“I don’t want to turn my back on what I am. Who I am. But I don’t want to go, to have keep running.”

“We’ll talk to Fury. We’ll figure something out. If that’s what you want. I still want this. You. Us.”

Steve held her tightly to him in the clearing as a helicopter descend. The sound filled their ears and made talk impossible. Around them dust, leafs and grass was picked up by the wind and danced through the air. There was noise and shouting and Rosemary recognized it as belonging to General Mass.

Steve bent down and swept her off her admittedly tired feet and walked as if it was nothing toward the open door of the helicopter. When Rosemary protested that she could walk, he nodded and agreed yet did not put her down. He was ruining her reputation and though she told him so, he didn’t seem to give a damn.

“I don’t want to let go of you yet.” Steve Admitted as he settled into a ridged bench.

“Nice to have a face to the voice.” Mass commented as if he hadn’t seem one of the largest information dealers wrapped up in the arms of the American hero before turning to the pilot. “Let’s get her out of here.”

“Steve?” Rosemary whispered. Her voice would have been lost to anyone else in the helicopter.

“Yes, Rose?” Strong arms tightened around her as she took a deep breath.

“My name is Rosemary Ramsey and I love you.”


	19. Chapter 19

Epilogue: Three months later

 

“Whoa, we got a knife block now? Fancy.” Bucky’s voice carried easily enough from the kitchen where he was doctoring his first cup of coffee for the morning.

“Rose brought it last night. Said she refused to use combat knives to make dinner anymore.” Their hearty laughs filled the apartment as Bucky came to sit on the coffee table with two mugs, offering one to Steve.

“Where is Rosemary anyway? Heard her last night and assumed she was staying the night?”

“Early morning meeting. She should be done in another two hours or so.”

“No wonder she crashed here last night. I’m surprised she hasn’t moved into the city yet. That drive’s gotta be killer.”

“Not too bad or so she says. But yeah, sucks for early meetings.”

“You know, we get along pretty well- me and your Little Spider.” Bucky was looking intently down at his coffee, small smile on his face. Steve was thankful every time he saw Bucky act so close to who he was before.

“I know you do. She like’s you a lot, Bucky. I’m glad you two are friends.” Something was coming, Steve could feel it. Bucky had been hinting at something for the last week. Steve was sure that Bucky was worried that he would be left behind, that Steve would move out and leave him behind. That simply was not going to happen.

“I’m just saying- don’t wait too long to move forward with her.” Bucky didn’t look up as he spoke.

“What do you mean? It’s only been a handful of months.” Steve was well and properly confused.

“I’m just saying, we eat best when she’s around feeding us.” Bucky joked and when their laughter died down he returned to his more serious mood.

With a careful smile, Bucky explained his thoughts slowly, watching Steve’s reactions to his words. Steve had to admit that his friend had valid points. His friend was right though, both their mothers would be turning over in their graves with Steve’s current arrangement and if he shared a home with her both. Again, Steve had to remind himself that it was a new time with new rules. Bucky’s idea at the very least was something to think about and as lunch approached, the idea grew on Steve.

* * *

Standing outside the glass walls of the conference room, Steve watched her with a smile tugging at the corners of his lips even as he tried to school his face. Fury was able to work out an impressive deal for them. Both of the Ramsey twins were cleared of their crimes and Julian was in the process of transitioning his business to strictly legal avenues. Rosemary however had gone on to become a vital part of the operations quickly.

He was immensely proud of her. Even now, standing outside the room, watching her feed the agents information that they wouldn’t have had access to before. He knew she kept her web close and without her Shield would not be able to make it sing. They needed her and her ability to obtain information without raising any suspicions at all. Still her web wasn’t strictly legal and they all turned a blind eye to it. To require every transaction be detailed and explained would raise red flags and kill the web.

Steve didn’t know what the future held for them but he did know that he wanted to find out. Every moment he spent with her was a breath of fresh air. With her he found a joy and thirst for life he hadn’t had in a very long time.

Still he often worried about her. She was a target. As she became more and more valuable to Shield, the more people would consider eliminating her. Two hours away was too far. It would be better if she was closer. He could better protect her if she was closer. They could spend so much more time together if she was closer.

Again Bucky’s suggestion came to mind. Was it really alright?

The ping of his phone drew his attention from the redhead commanding a room full of agents. He was reluctant to look away from her. She was a vision with her messy red hair pulled back into a bun that did nothing to contain the curls and waves that framed her face.

The phone pinged again and he tore his eyes away from her. Two text messages came in from Agent Hill, likely at the direction of Director Fury. They were simple messages.

“Detective Mary O’Kelley has been apprehended.” The first message reads. “We’ve taken a hair sample. Please inform Rosemary that we can run a DNA test if she would like to determine relation at any time if she wishes.”

“Will do, thank you.” Steve responded only to have his phone chime again in his hand.

“Stop standing outside of conference rooms like a worried father.” Steve laughed. Of course Agent Hill and Fury would know he was here. Not much escaped them.

With the meeting finished, agents filed out of the room. Some made snide comments- someone always did. In a way, he couldn’t blame them. They had no reason to trust her. It wasn’t their lives she saved. Still, these newer agents should be thankful for the information she was able to provide them.

Somehow, the talk never seemed to bother her. She looked up from the file in her hands and when their eyes locked a radiant smile blossomed across her face. Wearing a simple black skirt, white blouse and black heels- she would look at place at any office in the city. Steve counted himself lucky that got to see her when she was in the offices but wished he could see more of her working in the middle of the night wearing an over sized shirt and comfortable shorts, legs folded under her as she sat on his bed.

“Hey.” Steve smiled as she made her way out of the room.

“I thought you were off today?” Rosemary asked as she leaned back against the glass wall.

“I am. I came to check on the team- make sure there wasn’t anything needing my immediate attention. Figured it was close enough to lunch time- maybe you’d like to get lunch?” It was cute how she still blushed talking to him.

“Steve, are you asking me on a lunch date?” She teased.

“Of course I am.”

“Lucky me.”

“I’m the lucky one.”

“Oh my god! Do you have to be so damn cheesy?” Sam barked from down the hall, wide smile on his face just the same. “How the hell did you find the one damn woman in the world that cheesy ass shit works on?”

* * *

 

Steve’s hand held hers tightly as they walked down the hall toward the elevator. He was more subtended than she typically saw him and it was worrying. Was this the moment everything would finally crash down around around her?

These past three months had been as close to perfect as she had dared to dream. Sure, they didn’t get along every moment they were together. Often when they would bicker it would be over one of them taking unnecessary risks. Still what they had was more than she had ever dared to dream for. This life she had now, it was something she never thought she could have.

“Is everything okay?” Steve almost didn’t hear the her words, soft spoken as they were while the elevator doors closed behind them.

“Why wouldn’t it be? I get to have lunch with the most beautiful girl in New York.”

“You just seem… off, I guess.” Rosemary looked down at her feet, unsure if she was opening a can of worms that she would regret.

“Hey?” Firmly, he squeezed her hand in an attempt to draw her eyes to him. When that didn’t work he turned and stepped in front of her. The sheer size of him blocked her in the small space. Reaching out, he hooked a finger under her chin and pulled her gaze up to him even as he ducked down slightly, bringing himself closer to her level. “Look at me.”

“I’m sorry.” She whispered, not sure what she was apologizing for.

“I’m good. You’re good. We’re good, aren’t we?” Only when she nods does he continue. “I’m happy- happier than I have been in a very long time. It’s because of you, Rosemary.”

It was rare that he called her Rosemary and she smiled every time he did. It was a soft reminder that he saw her, he knew her for who she was. “I am too, Steve. I really am.”

“Good. Then we have nothing to worry about.” Steve didn’t let her protest or give her a chance to worry as he closed the little distance between them with a tender kiss. The elevator came to a halt as they reached the second floor.

Taking her hand in his, he pulled her out into the large room. The best way to feed agents was with a cafeteria and Shield had their own. Most days the food was decent enough. Mondays were questionable however. The running theory was that the staff resenting having to start another week of work and thus was trying to poison everyone every Monday.

By the taste of the food, Steve couldn’t say for sure that they were wrong.

While they waited their turn for the food- both thankful that it was not Monday- Steve held her hand. It was surprising for Rosemary. He wasn’t one for public affection often and even more so within the confines of Shield Headquarters.

The trend continued as they ate. Somehow, he was always touching her. Impossibly long legs had his foot brushing up against her calf under the table, his hand sought hers out repeatedly. With plates empty, Steve decided now was the time.

“Rosemary.” When she smiled up at him, he chickened out. “They caught Mary. Fury’s going to see to it she’s put away for the rest of her life. You’re safe now.” Coward. Coward. Coward.

“Safe from her at least.” Yet there was still warmth in her smile as she reminded him of the truth. Sometimes it was hard for him to remember that she still had many enemies.

“They took DNA samples as they processed her into custody.” Both his hands came to cover hers in a show of support that she really didn’t need. “If you wanted to know, to find out for sure…”

“If she’s really my sister?” The idea was something she and Julian had grappled with. If it was true, she was the reason their father killed their mother and their admittedly already poor home life spiraled into something so dark. “I want to know. I think I need to know.”

“I’ll let Tony know to run the test.” One of Steve’s hands left hers as he pulled his phone out and typed the message.

“Not Shield?” With her head cocked, Rosemary tried to understand why Shield wouldn’t be the one to run the test.

“I would feel better if Tony did it himself.” Steve shrugged and Rosemary had to admit that if she had to hear she was related to yet another monster she would rather it came from someone who had quickly become a friend.

The phone on the table chirped and Steve informed her that Tony would text her with the results within the hour.

“Regardless of what the results say, you’re still the same person.” It always amazed her how well Steve could read her. It was like for him, she was an open book. Someone saw her. Finally, someone would remember her.

After killing as much time as they could, Steve cleared the table. She Smiled as he put up their trays. It was one of the many small things he insisted on doing for her.

She had been so very lucky to have him stumble into the art show that Mrs. Jones had forced her to put on all those months ago. Now she was even more lucky that after everything, after all her secrets had come to light this amazing man was still smiling at her from across rooms room.

“You don’t have anymore meetings today, right?” Weaving his fingers between hers, Steve brought her hand up to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the back.

“Free and clear.” Standing, she allowed him to lead her toward the elevator again.

“Let’s get out of here. Go home. Bucky got a new movie he wanted to watch.”

“He won’t mind me tagging along?” It was a question she asked him often. It was never her intention to come between the friends or to force her presence on Bucky, though she liked him and even considered him a friend. Still, it was hard to tell how he felt about her.

“He likes you.” Steve laughed. They’d been over this before. “He adores you.”

In the privacy of the elevator once again, Steve wasted no time in pulling her into his chest. Strong arms wrapped around her waist while she rested her head against his chest. With her arms around his back, Rosemary listened to the steady thump of his heart. She only moved when the sound of a hammer striking metal filled the small space signalizing a text received from Tony.

“Well?” Steve asked as she gazed down at the screen.

“Not related.” The news was shocking to her.

“Are you happy?” The lack of a response worried him.

“I don’t know.” She admitted. “I guess? I don’t feel any sort of way about it. I didn’t expect that.”

“It’s okay. It’s okay to not care.” Steve wrapped her tighter in his arms. “She doesn’t matter. She can’t hurt you anymore.”

“I’m relieved.” Rosemary admitted, leaning into his chest until the elevator doors slid opened on the basement carport. “I think… I think if it came back and said she was really my sister I would have felt… I don’t know.”

“Obligated to help her?” Steve offered as he gave her hand a squeeze again. She smiled at what had become his way of reminding her that he was there, right there with her.

“Yeah. That’s dumb, isn’t it?”

“I don’t think so. It would make her family- at least by blood. That’s all you’ve had for so long. It makes sense that you would feel like you had to. But she’s not and you don’t owe her anything.”

“You’re too good to me.” A smile graced her face and Steve thought of how lucky he was to find a small art show four months ago in a tiny town outside of the city.

“I’ll meet you at your apartment, then?” Leaning against the side of her blue car, Rosemary fiddled with her keys.

“Actually, I wanted to ask you something first.” Steve took a deep breath and suddenly looked everywhere but at her. When the ground and ceiling grew dull, he examined his hands.

“This isn’t how I dreamed of getting proposed to.” Rosemary laughed forcefully, trying to lighten the air with a joke about what clearly wasn’t happening. He wouldn’t do that. Not in a carport at work. Not after four months. Would he?

“Oh! No! No, that’s not what- I mean, I care for you a lot. I love you but that’s just- that’s a big thing and-”

“Steve.” Rosemary tried to school the worry in her voice as she leaned forward, resting a hand on Steve’s arm. “I’m only teasing you. You’re worrying me.”

“I’m sorry. Forget it. Let’s go home?” Steve still wouldn’t look at her.

“No.” That made him look at her, finally.

“No?”

“No. Whatever it is, if you’re in knots over it you need to tell me. We said no more secrets, remember?” Guilt washed over him.

It always amazed her how hard he was, how well he schooled his expressions when working. That wasn’t the Steve she knew. Her Steve was this man in front of her, this man she had grown to love so quickly was expressive and easy to read.

Steve closed his eyes and his shoulders sagged. His whole body seemed to inflate and deflate with each deep breath he took as he tried to calm himself. Whatever he was preparing himself for, Rosemary hoped it wasn’t something that would hurt her.

“Rosemary…” When he opened his eyes, he saw worry swimming in her own. She had her lip trapped between her teeth and this time he knew he was the cause of it without any doubt.

“What?” There was a whimper in her voice and he would have given anything to turn back time and start this conversation over again. He really managed to muck this up and yet he knew absolutely no one would be surprised about it.

“Move in with me.” The words came fast, each running over the other.

“Move in with you?” Surely she had heard him wrong but he nodded. “What about Bucky? I don’t want to displace him or make him uncomfortable. I’d hate for him to think I was taking over or-”

“It was his idea.”

“Oh. You didn’t have to ask just because he-”

“No!” Steve almost barked the word, it came so rushed and loud. His hands raked through his hair as he turned from her, taking a step away only to turn back and fiercely kiss her. The force pushed her back and he had her pinned against the side of her car, not that she was complaining. The kiss ended just as suddenly as it began however he didn’t move away.

“I was scared to even think about it. I was scared I couldn’t have that.” He admitted and she understood that feeling all too well. It was one she often had herself, even now. Everything she had right now felt far too good to be true. “Bucky had to remind me that we’re not still in the 40’s. He also made a point to remind me that we both eat best when you’re over.”

“So he wants me to move in and feed him?” A small giggle slipped out of her as her hands relaxed against his chest, taking in the feeling of the worn white tee shirt and warmth that radiated off him. That did sound just like Bucky.

“Maybe.” Steve seemed to relax as his own laugh joined hers. “But it got me thinking. I stood there, watching you command the agent’s attention and I was so proud of you. Proud that you’re mine. I love waking up next to you every single morning I’m blessed to. I love coming in from my runs and seeing you. I love falling asleep with you in my arms. I love you.”

“I love you too, Steve.” The warmth in his smile could make anyone forget the flustered mess the man had just been.

“I want to have that every day. And Bucky thinks it would be great to have you with us. So, will you?”

“Steve-”

“Shit. I know, you probably need time to think. I shouldn’t- Sorry. I shouldn’t put you on the spot like this. You don’t have to answer right now. Take time, think about it, okay? The offer is always open.”

“Steve.” His jaw slammed shut. He was rambling and he knew it.

Both arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled herself flush against him. Instinctively, his hands fell to her waist as she rose up onto her toes. Softly she pressed her lips against his. With a sigh, the tension seemed to melt off of him.

“Okay. If you sure- okay. I’ll do it. I’ll move in.” Steve lifted her off her feet and spun her around. When he set her on her feet again, his lips met hers in a kiss that left her light headed and gasping for air.

Rosemary couldn’t say that the life she had was a dream come true. It was something she had never dared to dream of. It had been such a large risk when she decided against blocking his number that first night. It took her going against everything she had ever known to give him a chance and now she was so very thankful that some some small part of her refused to let him go.

Finally, she had a taste of love. It was fierce and passionate. It was warm and comforting. It was the light in the darkness. She didn’t know it at the time but love was Steve Rogers smiling at her from across a crowded cafe in a small town.


End file.
